Celebrations are meant to be shared by all.

After a trip to Ohio that was uneventful getting there, we had a great time celebrating the graduation of our only grandson from high school. His current (and so far only) interest, Cameron, also graduated. We endured over 400+ students graduating and (sadly) very poor acoustics which did an injustice to all the speakers, to see him accomplish something which not too many years ago seemed so far out in the distance.  After getting to share a meal on Saturday night at Roosters (his and my favorite when there) with Braden, Janna and Mike, and Mike’s son, Andrew (who graduates this coming Sunday), we had a very full Sunday afternoon and evening. It was in downtown Columbus and I am so glad Mike drove. He knew where he was going and it was nice to be along for the ride.  After a Monday morning breakfast at IHOP with Braden and Cameron we headed back home around 9:15. Plans were to be home by 1:30 or so. That was until we got stuck in a 1-2 hour wait due to a wreck not quite 4 miles ahead of us. It took us almost 1-2 hours to go 4 miles or so, until I was able to get off the Interstate (due to it being closed completely) and get around the accident. All in all though, we made it home in 6 hours which is just 2 hours longer than normal. Jo and I went to the local ball fields to watch some of the kids play last night and when we got home we were beat. But it was one of those “good beats.”  I slept almost until my alarm went off at 3:30.

For my reading this morning I was in Nehemiah. The people of Judah had made their way back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon with the blessing of Cyrus, the king of the Medes-Persians. Ezra, the priest, was with the first wave. But the report of the devastation of the walls surrounding Jerusalem reached Nehemiah and he was so distraught that King Artaxerxes noticed it. Nehemiah petitioned for, and was granted, passage back to Jerusalem. There were those who intended to rain on Nehemiah’s parade, but one word from the king changed all that. Ezra brought spiritual reform; Nehemiah brought physical reform. In this case they went hand in hand. And along with Nehemiah’s work came both trouble (by outsiders), but also a celebration for being back and being able to rebuild the walls. While not all were happy and did not celebrate this milestone, Nehemiah did and he invited the people to do so.

I think it would behoove all of us to find things, events, and especially people, to celebrate. There is enough doom and gloom in the world without adding to someone’s angst. Praise and encourage others. Find the good in others and celebrate that. As Proverbs 20 says, “Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies.” (V.15). It also says, “A gossip  goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.” (v.19)

There you have it. “Celebrate good times come on!” (cue song). 🙂