Team CILT Celebration

Molly and I came up with a plan of what we were going to do today before we hung out. She brought her jumbo pack of markers, I brought two packs of mini-poster boards and we met at Huddles. When we walked through the door we were happily surprised to see Erin, a sophomore at North Central, that is going to be a CILT this summer. 

Molls and I both think that she's a rock star and we all share a love for Camp T. But when Erin asked us what we were about to do we were suddenly overcome by giggles because this craft probs seems weird to most people, even really wonderful, funny, creative people like Erin. 

But we told her and she thought it sounded fun and I even roped her into being involved a little bit. 

But now I'm thinking about why we do all of these strange things that other people find odd and I'm drawn back to Cold Tangerines- celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life.

"The discipline of celebration is changing my life, and it is because of the profound discoveries that this way of living affords to me that I invite you into the same practice."

"What God does in the tiny corners of our day-to-day lives is stunning and gorgeous and headline-making, but we have a bad habit of saving the headlines for the grotesque and scary."

"To choose to celebrate in the world we live in right now might seem irresponsible. It might seem frivolous, like cotton candy and charm bracelets." 

"But I believe it is a serious undertaking, and one that has the potential to return us to our best selves, to deliver us back to the men and women God created us to be, people who choose to see the best, believe the best, yearn for the best."

"Through that longing to be our best selves, we are changed and inspired and ennobled, able to see the handwriting of a holy God where another person just sees the same old tired streets and sidewalks."

"The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that's been playing since the beginning of time, if you bend all the way down and put your ear to the ground to listen for it."

Today Molls and I celebrated.  We celebrated life on this normal Tuesday. We celebrated being able to share life together. We celebrated friends that we really love but rarely get to see.

With more time and more pieces of paper we could have just kept writing and coloring because so many of you have made a significant impact in our lives and celebrated right along with us.

This is an invitation. Make time to celebrate. Even if other people think you're kind of weird, even if it takes awhile to think of something to celebrate, even if you're tired and busy- because really we're all tired and busy. But I promise that celebration is always worth it. Wake yourself up and join in the ongoing celebration of life that will continually transform your life.