Friday, July 10th, 2009 at
5:55 pm
CELEBRATE LIFE NOW: How to Enjoy Life to the Fullest
By Darcy Keith
As I’m typing my thoughts, I am watching my daughter play outside games with her neighborhood friends. First, they played a made-up game of throwing a ball though hula-hoops. Next, it was bouncing a ball in the middle of the hula-hoop, which had a number point value scribbled with pink sidewalk chalk in the center. How fun it is to watch the girls, aged five to eleven, improvise with the items they have, which were six hula-hoops and five balls of various sizes. I’m amazed at how quickly the girls can switch from game to game, making new rules, and having fun.
Watching their excitement, giggles, and negotiation skills reminds me of some of the aspects of life that we sometimes don’t. We don’t celebrate life. Each day, we should celebrate life. No, I’m not talking about living irresponsibly, but enjoy every day given to us. For the past week, my daughter asks me what special thing we are going to do that day. Sometimes, she just wants to go outside and play catch or take a family bike ride to the park. Other times, it’s just sitting down to watch a movie with hot, buttered popcorn, and a glass of soda.
My husband and I try our best to enjoy every day with her by celebrating life and the time we have together. I remember when our daughter was born. Family and friends visited us to celebrate her birth and see our new family addition. Because in the first year of life she changed physically so much, we celebrated each stage by having her picture taken every month. Videos and pictures were taken at holidays, special events, family gatherings, and various times to capture her innocent, curious, happy personality.
I must admit, however, that sometimes I wish life away. One of the bedtime rituals that I do every night when I put my daughter to bed is that we pray together, I sing a bedtime lullaby that I have sung every night since she was born, we tell each other “I love you”, and I start playing her favorite CD as she drifts off to sleep. There are several times that I would have liked to just kiss her goodnight after we prayed and go back to whatever I was doing.
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