Altar
Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter
Albritton
July
28, 2013
Find ways
to celebrate no matter what is happening
One of my greatest
blessings is that I am married to a woman never stops celebrating. In the worst
of times Dean has always found something to celebrate. And this is not new
behavior for her; it is a lifelong habit.
When our kids were small Dean
greeted a rainy day with a smile. Instead of complaining because the boys could
not go outside to play, she got them excited about games they could play
inside. Her contagious enthusiasm soon convinced the boys that a rainy day was
a blessing.
In one difficult season of our lives
we struggled with multiple problems. No matter which way we turned we stepped
in one pile of manure after another. One day she asked me, “Have you noticed
how beautiful our roses are?”
I could have cared less about the
roses. I was up to my eyeballs in alligators, desperately trying to get out of
the mess we were in.
That’s when she said with a wry
smile, “Those roses are thriving because of all the cow manure I packed around
them. Manure helps roses to grow and we can let all the manure we are
struggling with help us to grow too.”
We started laughing and laughed
until our faces were wet with tears. It was more than a teaching moment; it was
a celebration that we have never forgotten. Since that day we have never
allowed manure to overwhelm us. We simply looked for ways to use it.
Dean’s philosophy is that we should
celebrate what is. Never give all your attention to what is broken; look for
what is not broken and celebrate it. While life can be terribly difficult, if
we look hard enough we can usually find a reason for hope. That hope may be but
a glimmer of light in the darkness but we can celebrate it and look expectantly
for the dawn that will surely come.
It is really a matter of attitude.
While we often have no choice about our circumstances we can choose the
attitude with which we face the situation. The control switch is on the inside;
we can decide to be victims or we can decide to be victorious. The choice is
ours.
Flexibility will help.
Rigidity does not help. When problems are relentlessly punching us we can roll
with the punch. When we are knocked down we can get up, brush ourselves off and
get back in the race. We do not have to stay down.
We can choose to be happy
even in hard times because happiness is a choice. We can learn to enjoy what we
have rather than make ourselves miserable wishing for something we might not
enjoy if we got it.
No groceries in the pantry? No cans
of tuna or sardines? No problem for Dean. She celebrates the challenge of
fixing a meal when there appears to be nothing to fix. So today she took the
meat off the bones of two bream leftover from a recent supper. Then to the meat
she added some onions, pickles and mayonnaise. Crackers and tea completed the
menu. With a twinkle in her eye she said, “I pretended it was tuna fish salad
and it was delicious!”
Her celebratory spirit inspired me
to suggest that we really live it up and go out to Taco Bell for supper. Two
celebrations in one day are not too many! After all I am not stingy; I am a big
spender!
The lesson for the day: no matter
what is happening you can find a way to celebrate! Celebrate what is. Celebrate
what has been. Celebrate what is to come. With your last breath, celebrate! Some folks may think you are nuts, but when
the last curtain falls you will have achieved the ultimate victory! + + +