I poured my coffee, sat down with my journal, and paused before I even started writing. I realized: this is it. This is one of the moments. One of the small things.

Shauna Niequist calls it “a shameless appeal for celebration.” And I get that. I do. The headlines are heavy. The world often feels like it’s unraveling faster than we can stitch it back together. War, anxiety, injustice, climate disasters; those aren’t far-off worries. They keep us up at night. They steal our breath in the checkout line. And still, somehow, celebration matters (Niequist, 2024, p.5).

Not celebration that ignores the pain. Not the kind that covers over the world’s hurt with pastel frosting and calls it good. But celebration that stands in spite of the hurt. The kind that says, “Yes, this is hard, but this is beautiful too.” The kind that taps its foot and lifts its hands in praise even when nothing feels certain. As Shauna writes, “Despair is a slow death,” and I’ve tasted enough of that to know she’s telling the truth (Niequist, 2024, p. 5).

So today I chose to celebrate something small. Last night’s dinner that my picky teenager daughter actually liked. A perfect breeze at just the right moment on my walk with the dog. My husband texting me a memory just to make me smile. None of these things will ever make the news. But they changed me a little. Softened the edges. Pulled me back into the present. That’s the discipline of celebration—it returns us to our best selves (Niequist, 2024, p. 6).

So here’s my question, the same one I answered in my journal this morning:
What can you do to intentionally celebrate small things this week?
Is it lighting a candle at dinner, even if it’s just tacos? Is it dancing in the kitchen while the rice boils? Saying “yes” to ice cream or “yes” to silence?

Maybe it’s as simple as noticing. Paying attention. Putting your ear to the ground to hear the music that has “been playing since the beginning of time” (Niequist, 2024, p. 6).

Celebration isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline. And I want to live like it matters.

Gracefully yours,

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