The art of celebration

Okay, so I totally stole the blog title. Y'all should check out Rend Collective's album (and song) with that title. But that aside, let's talk about celebration.

No, not parties.

I mean the high-fives. The "way to go!s" The "you rock" and the "wow, you're awesome!" I think we miss out on a lot of opportunities to celebrate other people, both who they are and what they do. Celebrating others is a selfless act-- it's not asking for our own recognition, but rather giving that recognition to others.

On my long road trip I saw so many things to celebrate:

- The people who work low-paying jobs in order to meet the needs of their community. 

- The church that teaches English to recent immigrants.

- The drivers who pull over to let people behind them pass.

- The parents who work hard and never stop caring for their children even when they're most tired and stressed.

- The business owners who prioritize their employees and give up a little extra income in order to see them succeed and grow.

- God's work, both in the lives of people and in creation.

- Kids growing and learning, adapting to new environments.

And the list keeps going. I'm trying to keep my eyes open for the moments to celebrate. Are you? Who around could use hearing a "keep it up!" in their day?

Let's celebrate!