Recently in Celebration Category

My teachers encouraged me because they said I had a quality that couldn't be taught: expression.  I might not get all the notes right, but I do play with emotion.

Imagine two musicians playing the same song with identical accuracy and speed. Both performances are entertaining, but one musician conveys the song's meaning, the reason it was written, the nuances of the lyrics, and the pain or joy that the composer felt. That musician will move you to feel the song and will make you  laugh, cry, dance, or sing along.  Imagine the other musician playing without emotion. He will deliver an adequate yet unsatisfying tune, and you might tap your foot at best.

Life-changing moments tend to measure everyone's emotional expression. During a recent funeral for the mother of a dear friend, the chaplain spoke about how important both laughter and tears are in life. Of the people I knew who attended that funeral, most experience laughter often in their lives, but I wondered how many ever allow themselves to experience the power of a good cry. Like an ocean tide removing the sand, crying slowly carries away the pain.

Today it is my own family that is in pain. This Friday we will bury my cherished mother-in-law, Joy Heil. In order to replay her life's song properly, we must allow ourselves to feel all the emotions, not choke them back. Only then can we properly celebrate her life and experience meaningful healing from her loss.

We never know which days in life will be happy and which will be sad, but no matter what happens, each one should be a passionate performance, and I intend to put my heart into every song.

I recently attended an opening reception for Harry Boardman's exhibit, Greenhill and Beyond - Works Close to Home.  Everything about the evening reminded me of how special my town and the people in it are to me.  

Harry is a friend of mine and his exhibit is located at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in East Greenville, PA.  The Center is a place where the history of the Pennsylvania German Schwenkfelders is not only preserved, but is alive for descendants and non-descendants to explore. People travel from around the world to visit the library and learn more about their ancestors, their tools, and their art.

Harry is not a Schwenkfelder, but his paintings are on display at the gallery because he has captured enough local scenes to easily fill the room. I've admired Harry's work before; he paints all sorts of subjects which include portraits of love ones and family pets, murals, and for fun, monsters (check out his monster blog). But I hadn't realized how dynamic his landscape pieces are. There is merit in viewing a properly hung, distinctly lit painting in a space designed to display artwork. The pieces seemed to change as I moved around the room...a  distant view yielding a different result than was seen up close. I wanted to buy them all.

Then the artwork really came to life as Harry described the subjects and landscape which were all located within a mile or two of his home. Most places I recognized. Harry lives in Telford, Pennsylvania very near the landmark Rising Sun Inn. If you live near nearby, I encourage you to see the show before summer's end. For those of you who have budding artists in your family, Harry is sharing his knowledge and talent with youth at a few summertime classes hosted at the gallery.

The Schwenkfelder Center and the artists it supports are just two examples of local gems that quietly add to the quality of my home. Is there a treasure in your hometown?

Most Americans do like to have fun. And with so many cultures, backgrounds and nationalities in this country, we have many excuses to party.

Take St. Patrick's Day.  I'm not Irish. I'm not Catholic. But you can bet I wore green today.

In the Roman Catholic diocese of Ireland, March 17 is a holy day.  It's a memorial to a man who converted thousands to Christianity, and the day signifies the importance of this work within that particular religion.

So what about those of us who are not fond of some guy insisting his religion is the righteous one?  What are we doing celebrating St. Patrick's Day?  Is it just an excuse to drink? 

No. St. Patrick's Day may have a deep meaning for some, but for the rest, it has simply become a celebration of everything Irish.

And why not celebrate a culture of hearty stew, red hair, and tiny, lucky, forest-dwelling guardians of pots of gold? The Irish American story is riddled with pain and hardship.  They endured and prospered and have become guardians of the pot of gold that is their culture and ancestry. So we raise a glass to toast to them.  We thank them for their laughter, their beer, and their police and fire protection.

Many St. Patrick's Day celebrants are no more Christian on March 17 than they are on December 25. What matters is that we have found common ground: an excuse to lighten up and have some fun.

The reasons why we celebrate may be different for each of us, and it is important for tradition and culture's sake to remember WHY we celebrate. But in my book, a membership card is not required for admittance to the party.

Did you wear green on St. Patrick's Day?