Celebrate Today- ceremonies and celebrations to make your days count

Below is another Lenten tradition that we've put into practice the last few years:  Alleluia Ribbons  We got out our "alleluia" ribbons  which are made of simple wooden dowels and colorful ribbons with “alleluia” written on the ribbons, we tucked these carefully into plastic bags and buried them for the season of Lent.   “Because of the penitential character of the season of Lent, singing or saying the word “alleluia” has historically been suspended during Lent’s forty days. This period of individual and congregational reflection on the quality of our baptismal faith and life suggests that the joyful nature of alleluia is more appropriately reserved for our Easter celebrations when it is given full and jubilant voice. An alternate gospel acclamation for Lent that omits the alleluia is provided for all settings of Holy Communion in  Evangelical Lutheran Worship . The omission of alleluia during Lent goes back at least to the...

Lent:  a six-week season in spring leading up to Holy Week and Easter, remembering the forty days that Israel spent in the wilderness and the forty days of Christ’s testing in the wilderness.  Lent is an Old English word that means “spring” or “season of growth or renewal.” " Whether we feel ready or not, this day (Ash Wednesday) marks the beginning of the Church’s observance of the Lenten season—six weeks that are set apart for the purpose of drawing closer to God and seeking him with greater intensity. Unfortunately, the Lenten season often gets reduced to the question, 'What are you giving up for Lent?' This is a fine question, but it can only take us so far. The real question of the Lenten season is, 'How will I repent and return to God with all my heart?' " - Ruth Haley Barton It's hard to believe that Ash Wednesday is tomorrow.  Over the weekend, we pulled out some of the things we've used over the years to mark this time of Lent.  T...

We have a Valentine tradition of writing special Valentines to each other, getting dressed up for a fun family dinner together at home, reading our Valentines out loud to one another during dessert time and then having a little dance party together in the kitchen. Since our plans for Saturday are up in the air, we celebrated our family Valentine's traditions last night.  Even though I was pretty happy in my jeans and sweatshirt while cooking dinner and I thought about us just all coming to dinner in our pajamas, I knew that the effort is worth it to take these times to stop and celebrate each other.   (And it does not take much to convince me to dress up!)  Giving thanks for this sweet family to share in these traditions year after year...  fun to pull out my grandmother's little black dress that I've worn since college!  pizza love - tomato and mozzarella for the kids and squash/kale/feta for me and Jason (cutting out the dough just like p...

Today marks 5 years since my dear friend Jodi's son named Owen was hit by a car.  It was a terrible accident that no family should ever have to witness. As 3 year-old Owen was crossing the street to come back over to where Jodi was, a minivan was on its way down the street and the driver did not see Owen. He was hit and sent 20-30 feet (no exaggeration here) in the air before landing face down on the concrete, unconscious.  There really is no way Owen should have lived.  But he did, and after all of that, he sustained only the smallest of scrapes-- far, far less than even a bike crash. And so today, January 22 is a miracle day for the Hailey family that is celebrated each year.   They all go out to dinner to mark the occasion to celebrate "Live Day."  I love celebrating just about anything, but this is one of the best reasons to celebrate for sure.    HAPPY LIVE DAY, DEAR OWEN!!  photo on our front porch with Owen and Jodi in Sept...

We started the day off sitting around a big breakfast table in Oregon with our family friends.  My friend Jodi had been wanting to establish some kind of MLK tradition so we shared a beautiful book called  Martin's Big Words  and the "I Have A Dream" speech from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr around the table with them that we've been reading for the last few years as a family on this day.  As we headed back from our weekend away, we headed straight to the MLK memorial on Martin Luther King Boulevard as we got into town.   Thanks to the tradition that started in TN when we made a pilgrimage for several years to Lookout Mountain with Kristen Odmark, Leslie Mitchell and friends to hear MLK's speech read out loud, we have continued the MLK tradition here in Seattle here at the memorial we have in town.  (Kristen had this wonderful idea to make a road trip from Nashville to Lookout Mountain because in the speech, it says,...

Epiphany- a season of light....  Today is Epiphany  which marks the Season of Light.  Since I have a meeting for work tonight,  we pulled out our annual "chalking the door" liturgy last night  and carried on this tradition for Epiphany.  Over the years, it has become one of my favorite gatherings around our table.  Each year on Epiphany, a member of our family will use a piece of chalk and will write on our door. This year, Anna wrote the following on our doorframe: 20 C M B 15 My friend Kristin Kinser wrote the following and shared it with me at St. B's in Nashville when we were there: " This is a Christian tradition that has been around since the Middle Ages. January 6 th  happens to be Epiphany when we remember the visit of the kings,  C aspar,  M elchior, and  B althasar. Or some say that C M B stands for  Christus Mansionem Benedicat, May Christ bless this house.  The numbers rep...