Celebration Punctuation

Celebrations are the punctuation of life.

Mornings, evenings, weekends, months, and years whiz by like a dizzying run-on sentence. They can feel like they drag on and on. Then suddenly it's over, and you've missed the point.

For me, gathering around meals, birthday cakes, Christmas trees and midnight countdowns create causeways of remembrance. We create intentional spaces to look at each other, look back, give thanks, look ahead, and look around. I'll always do the extra dishes, spend the extra time, and go the extra mile to punctuate a life that sees, remembers, attunes and gives thanks.

Thanksgiving is my favorite of ALL the holidays, even though I haven't been in America for the last fourteen. I can't think of anything better than a holiday centered on gratitude and great food!

There's a promise has shaped me during my last fourteen South African Thanksgivings. This promise has made Thanksgiving even more valuable to me while living in a country that doesn't celebrate it: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4

Wherever we find ourselves in this life that keeps running on and on, we only have to give thanks to enter into the gates of God's presence. We can never be lost that way!

I think that's why I managed to squeeze in three different Thanksgiving celebrations in this year!