CELEBRATIONS

  The SPPC choir is on vacation until September.  We celebrated with a BBQ at Larry and Elizabeth's place. 


We had hamburgers and hot dogs and salads and lots of dessert.  There were games to play,

but the weather was so hot we mostly sought shade and indulged in that lovely past-time called chatting.  A bit different from last week's Sunday School picnic on the beach.  Still, it got me to thinking about why we celebrate endings.
   

For the choir and for school kids, there is a sense of release.  No more requirements to get our homework done or learn an anthem.

There is a sense of freedom.  No need to show up at a certain place at a certain time.  The days of summer stretch out in an unbroken chain of recreation.  We put down our burdens of responsibility and commitment, of leadership and obligation.

    We also celebrate endings because they lead to beginnings.  If June marks the end of one grade, September holds the promise of a new one.  We are full of hope for what the next term will bring.  Excited by the prospects of new challenges, and new adventures.  Eager to meet new people and explore new places.  Certainly we celebrate the end of school.

    But, there are other kinds of endings, and the choir has experienced those this month.  We've lost one of our own and two more in our extended choir family.  These kinds of endings are not usually celebrated with games and a BBQ and jokes around the picnic table.  These endings are greeted with tears and sorrow, but that's because we've been left behind.  For those who have gone ahead, I can imagine a grand picnic, a joyful homecoming, a release from cares, a laying down of burdens and an end of struggle.

    Even as we grieve our losses, we continue to celebrate.  Endings only mean new beginnings.