Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be with you.

Celebrate life!!!

On Easter week-end I declared that I was going to observe a "celebration of life" ritual. Instead of giving something up as some do during Lent I was going to add something each day to celebrate life. I got the idea from a friend but wasn't sure I would have the creativity or consistency to follow through. I had fun brainstorming a list of ideas and tried out a couple of them, but then I got "too busy" and dropped the ball for a few days. Ironic, huh? how life got in the way of celebrating life?

I watched my friend play out his Lazarus Experiment, asking what Lazarus might do after being given a second chance at life. He came up with some really cool stuff and documented them each day on Facebook. His list began to look much more spiritual than mine. He looked for opportunities to serve while I had been thinking more in terms of what I would selfishly enjoy.

I could be tempted to be sad - either that my experiment didn't become a grand thing or that my ideas weren't as meaningful as his. But then that would be just silly to be sad about that. I suppose that my old self might have seen this as some kind of failure or cause for discouragement. But no, I choose to celebrate.

I celebrate life.
I celebrate creativity.
I celebrate joy.
I celebrate fun.
I celebrate health.

I celebrate the fact that I have slowed down to smell the roses. AND to smell my favorite perfume. Yep, during & after chemotherapy, I abandoned perfume because of the constant low-grade nausea. So now, to celebrate life and health, I wear it again & let every whiff remind me how good it feels to feel good again. That's celebration.

Thanks to an early spring, my shoulders are already a bit tanned - and it's barely May! I have watched for chances to catch some rays - again because I CAN - something I was unable to do during chemo & radiation. Not only CAN I sit in the sun, but I'm SUPPOSED to - getting my daily dose of vitamin D to combat the toll that cancer drugs have taken on my bones. So, yay for sitting in the sun. I celebrate sunshine.

I've done only a few ideas on my list, but they have been joyful.

I spent a whole week-end with my daughters and celebrated those amazing women!

I've gone an extra mile on my morning walk - just because I can - and rejoiced that I am able to do it.

I have made some decisions that were healthy and fun for me, and I've made some sacrifices to serve other people.

I have eaten some of my favorite foods and look forward to many more. Yes, I'm going to try a peanut butter and banana sandwich!

I celebrate being alive and healthy.

I celebrate who I am - that I am willing to try new things and establish new rituals.

Most of all I celebrate that I live by grace now instead of by a list of rules.

Let the celebration continue!!!

Leadership, flow charts, & relationship

John Ortberg articulates well something that I have often thought.

"...when it comes to getting leadership right, 98 percent of the ballgame is relationship. I believe where there is a relationship of joy and commitment and mutual submission and trust and authentic love — then the division of labor issues can flow freely and effectively. But where the relationship is broken, all the org charts in the world can't save it."

Thanks, John. Now I don't have to figure out how to say it.

(The above lines are from the article - “How do we hire?” – LeadershipJournal.net, posted 3-29-10)

A better idea

In my last post, I mentioned friends who had given up things for Lent. This morning I heard from a friend who has decided to add something every day from Easter to Ascension Day - May 13 - to celebrate life. He calls it an "anti-Lent" ritual, but some people don't appreciate that.

Now this is something I could get excited about. Think I might jump on that idea. Will I be able to think of 40 different things? It sure will be fun to try! Maybe I'll start my list of ideas today...

Lent

I wonder about Lent. I wonder who came up with it. I wonder how important it is, or how valuable. I hear tidbits from those who have observed Lent, but don't remember hearing many stirring testimonials. Where I grew up, Lent was not observed - at least not religiously. For some reason this year I found myself wondering about it - wondering why it is observed and whether I ought to do so. Is it for the discipline? The sacrifice and suffering? The appreciation of blessings?

I toyed with the idea of doing some serious study about the history and rationale of Lenten observance, but have mostly just kept my ears open and have asked a few questions. Some friends are fasting from social networking; at least one is giving up entire food groups in a Daniel fast. One that has captured my attention is "40 Days of Water" put on by Blood:Water Mission. Evidently members give up all beverages except water and participate in various awareness events. I wonder if I could do that. I wonder if I want to do that. I wonder if I would be serious enough to really make it happen.

Then I wonder again about the big picture, about the motivation to give something up for Lent. I suppose the reasons may be as diverse as the people. Is it legalistic? Ritualistic? I don't feel compelled to participate, but neither do I totally reject the notion. Perhaps I'll mentally file these wonderings in the "fasting" folder - and pull them out at another appropriate time to re-think the topic. Maybe next year.