the diamond jubilee; i can't imagine!

this is such a great time of the year.  i got to celebrate with some of our graduates this week-end; what a momentous occasion graduation is!  lots of emotions for different people for different reasons.  for graduates it's "we're so done"; for parents it's "they did it, and they're grown -- how did this happen?!"  and for this pastor, i am reminded of how life keeps moving; something following us as we move forward into newness, that has been vacated by someone else. 

empty dorms fill up again -- and what was old and familiar to someone else becomes new and unfamiliar to you.  leaders spend time reviewing how things went, and trying to figure out "what's next" during these festive times of transition.  it seems that planning and implementing and tweaking while you're still doing things are part of the endless cycle of life; john wesley called it "moving onto perfection".

i heard 'pomp and circumstance' on my way to work.  the number of times i played that piece -- including my senior year of high school, as we were low on brass players that year! -- reminds me of such a flood of memories.  people i've known and lost contact with; people i've lost contact with and who found me on facebook; some haven't changed a bit (oh dear!) and others are people whom i do not recognize...including myself.  who knew i'd be here as who i am now?  that's an odd statement, but, could that possibly be true for you as well?

and, of course, there is the diamond jubilee...i can't imagine what it must be like to be in the same 'position' for 60 years!  queen elizabeth and queen victoria before her...how much they must have seen the world change.  the decisions they have had to make, the life-changing experiences.  all this and being a public figure that grooms you to be "on" all the time...your every step and decision monitored and evaluated by, not just "your people" but by the entire world...now in an instant!

while all of this is going on, our staff is preparing to celebrate three birthdays...well, two birthdays and an 'un' birthday (one of our staff members doesn't have a birthday anymore, but we celebrate her anyway!)  we'll go to lunch, and share cards.  i'm making some homemade cards this time...pictures from my trip to florida.  as a pastor, i'm always thinking...and sometimes, i even get my thoughts and my camera to work at the same time!

we always try and figure out some dessert that is festive, so as to make the celebration festive.  as i was reading through one of my 'other bibles' (the costco connection), there was an article about those new "cake pops".  you bake a cake, let it cool, break it up into little pieces in a big bowl and add your frosting, mixing well.  then you roll this mixture into small balls and put them on a popsicle stick, then dip them into candy icing, decorating them as you choose.  well, i thought, i could do that!  or at least a variation on that theme.  so, i'm putting on my pastry chef hat today, and away i'll go...fortunately, there are alternatives if this doesn't work!

but amid the work that needs to be done, i wonder, shouldn't there be some fun?!  those graduating don't spend ALL their time in study and, according to the interviews with the royal grandchildren, the queen is also 'granny'.  so, i get to have some fun today too.

yesterday a group of us gathered to say good-bye to our colleague as the campus pastor of our wesley foundation here in merced.  she will be moving on to a new ministry beginning july first.  very united methodist!  that's what we do at this time of the year; it seems that clergy talk about moving or staying or not knowing what will happen.  anxiety producing.  so, being able to have a (teary but fun) farewell allows all of us to recognize the significance of the people that move in-to and out-of our lives.  sometimes we don't always get a chance to say the needed words and share the thoughts and feelings we have; in these times of celebrative transitions, we are given that chance!



so, celebrate this time of transition...even if you don't know a graduate, or you aren't in london for the jubilee, or there isn't someone you know who is going anywhere or celebrating a birthday or anniversary.  mark this time as something significant!  how will you find time to carve out fun and celebration into your day?  what will draw you out of the 'same old thing' into a moment of enjoyment in the midst of all the pressures that grab for your attention?  do you plan fun, or do you get surprised by fun, or do you get to a point where you reward yourself with something fun?  do you depend on others to "make fun" for you, or are you worthy enough to be the life of the party all on your own?