Midweek Connect: 3/17/21 ~ RAP = Celebrating
Greetings and Happy Midweek!
And it’s also mid-month once again so this week, let’s RAP (Review And Process) by going a bit more deeply into the topic of “Celebrating”. I began these midweek Connect messages last May as part of my celebration of the 10th Anniversary for my business Global SKILLs. Check out those early celebration thoughts posted here on May 1st, 2020. I end each week’s message now noting another anniversary celebration (see below).
Celebrating is a universal activity which differs between cultures in how it is expressed - and yet, in essence, it is always about acknowledgement and appreciation of something or someone or some event. I’ve had one of life’s opportunities to celebrate thrust upon me this past week...and I am working on embracing it, in a number of ways - including sharing these thoughts here.
Yesterday, a very dear friend passed away, after a 9 month long battle with cancer. A circle of family and friends (very few in person and many virtually, myself included) held vigil with her for several days before she passed. In the midst of our journey through deep sadness and loss, personally and collectively, we each were also able to celebrate - her life and the legacy she has already left, along with our shared experiences and memories. Some cultures require this type of vigil to be held, others separate the dying from the living, the pandemic has skewed all norms...but this morning, I am feeling so deeply blessed that I have the freedom culturally to embrace individually and in community the support, comfort and yes - celebration this end of life journey has offered me.
I’ll miss my Friend and I publicly thank her here for leading me more deeply into celebration as part of her legacy in my life!
And
How about for you...what’s one cultural facet of celebrating you’ve noticed recently - individually and/or in community?
Share that with a friend or here...it's so easy otherwise to miss the opportunity to celebrate especially in shadowed valleys.
Until next week! Betsy
Global SKILLs LINKs
For this midweek RAP, take some time and go back through previous LINKs (in the emails or in my blog posts, see the link above)...what kinds of celebration do you find?
2021 ~ Celebrating 40 years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
Connecting, Collaborating, Cultivating Community