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Friday, July 14, 2017

Why I Still Celebrate {CELEBRATE This Week: 201}

I'm glad you are here to celebrate! 

Share a link to your blog post below and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details hereCelebrate This Week goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend celebration. Whenever it fits in your life, add your link. 

Please leave a little comment love for the person who links before you.
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I've written over 200 celebration posts, which has caused me to ask:

Do I still want to celebrate?

I cringe and look away from the sharp words. Not-thinking about something doesn't make it go away. The question taunts, demanding an answer.

The past twelve months have been grueling. Sometimes I've wondered if I'm a fake digging up something to celebrate each week.

There's nothing fake about my celebrations.

I dredge celebrations because the world is dark. 

Dreadfully dark. 
Disturbingly dark. 
Dismally dark.

The whole wide world is dark. It isn't only in shadowy remote corners, but dark is in our backyards, with kids living in cars and abandoned barns; teens lonely or drunk or hungry; dads in handcuffs and moms strung out. The world is dark.

There's a lot of talk these days about grit -- rugged toughness to get through life. Often I consider gritty celebration. I like the juxtaposition of the terms.

Grit is plowing through the dark.
Celebration is shining a light.

Maybe we wouldn't need so much grit to face the world if we took more time to celebrate.

I still celebrate because, as Kate DiCamillo wisely states, light is precious in a world so dark.

Thank you for Celebrating This Week, whether you've been joining in for hundreds of celebrations or if this week is your first. Together, we will change the world from darkness to light.



6 comments:

  1. Thank you Ruth! I'm celebrating that you want to continue to shine your light in a world so dark. We all need the light. I've had a rough year myself. I appreciate that you keep things going here. I don't know anyone who has more tenacity than you. Thanks for all 201 of your Celebrations!

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  2. Thanks, Ruth, for not only shining your light but encouraging us all to shine ours.

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  3. Amy you are one of those lights! I am hoping and praying you have a great year. I am celebrating the little things we take for granted. (flowers, light bulb moments, sunshine, the successes of students and the teachers that made a difference in their lives, metamorphosis giving us hope that all things can change for the better, teachers like Amy and Ruth that inspire and keep their lights shining, and most of all I am thankful to have the opportunity to work with little people) Keeping shining!

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  4. Thank you, Ruth. We see week by week, there is nothing fake about your celebrations. We are inspired by your sharing. It helps us recognize and share our celebrations, too. Reading the weekly celebrations shines light into the dark and makes our light brighter.

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  5. Thank you for continuing to celebrate! I feel like it's needed now more than ever.

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  6. Thank you for sharing these questions. Your conclusion is perfect. We must celebrate because it lights up the darkness. It helps us see our way.

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I {heart} comments. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.