CELEBRATION

It feels like I haven't written for a long time. I didn't intend to miss Friday, but the contractor finished Thursday and it was time for us to do some finishing up. Friday I hooked up the washer/dryer. It required a new cord because of some change in electrical codes. In the process of rewiring it, I discovered it was packed with lint that somehow escaped into the chassis. Jamie and I cleaned it out and Jamie discovered how it was leaking and we repaired it. It works like new.

I am late writing today because I was helping Jamie put a day bed together that was sitting on our porch, boxed up, for two months waiting for the addition to be completed.

We had a small, just us [Jamie, me, Naomi and Elijah] party for my birthday. We had a great time. I love to celebrate events. I came from an extended family that loved to celebrate. My Mother was the oldest of nine children and we lived less than two blocks from my Grandparents home. The youngest of my Mothers siblings went through school with me. She was a senior in High when I was a freshman. I had Great Aunts that lived only three blocks away and another set of Grandparents almost as close.

Besides the usual holidays, we got together for every birthday. There wasn't a month that went by that we didn't have a celebration. Through my child's eyes the celebrations were great. My relatives got along well with each other and enjoyed being together. Drinking was always part of the celebration but overindulgence was not common. I wasn't aware of the problem drinking could have for some people until I was a young adult. Intellectually I was aware of alcohol abuse but I didn't see it in my family when I was growing up. I did observe it later but that is another story.

I loved family parties. They were great. Besides birthdays, we celebrated St Patrick's Day, Valentines Day, George Washington's Birthday etc. The whole extended family didn't get together for the more minor occasions; but my Mother would make a cherry pie on George Washington's Birthday, for instance.

As my maternal Grandparents aged the joint celebrations became less frequent. I don't if it was just my family or the whole culture but folks seemed to celebrate less. Like all families, mine had their share of negatives as well as positives and for me to grow up I had to find ways to separate from them. I learned that many families did not celebrate the events of their lives.

I always enjoy celebrating my Birthday. In fact, in our family we have The Birthday Week. Jamie doesn't emphasize it as much as I do. The celebration must begin with the person having the birthday. I can't see any reason for one to wait around hoping others will acknowledge your birthday. If it is my Birthday, I feel, the celebration must go from me to the other. The celebration must radiate from me. And it does.

It seems to me folks don't look for reason to celebrate their lives. Big birthday parties are not as common as they used to be. Is that just my perception? Maybe, I can't be sure. Of course it doesn't matter what we celebrate, it does matter that we celebrate.

We need to celebrate. Celebration chases away a lot of negativity. We need to celebrate Love. We need to consciously look for things to celebrate. We need to celebrate the New Age. We need to help the New Age emerge by celebration. Let us celebrate each others existence. Let's let our love for each other overflow.

Love and Peace,  Gregg