I hope that you all had a wonderful long, lazy 4th of July weekend! I know I did…in fact, this was the first 4th of July that my family attended fireworks together. In years past, it has been challenging for my children to stay up so late, or we’ve had a newborn, or being young parents, have been too exhausted to go. But, we had a relaxing time with friends, enjoying cotton candy and talking about which fireworks were our favorite. Over the weekend, we also celebrated my daughter’s 5th birthday—complete with a castle cake and lots of pink and yellow. The weekend was full of celebrating.

Celebrating like this has gotten me thinking about relationships in our lives. I hear a lot about people’s relationship concerns and frustrations. I know that marriages, parenting, and friendships can be difficult and full of pain. I also know that even in the toughest relationships a critical ingredient towards growth and joy is celebrating the other person. This might look different depending on the type of relationship. For your spouse, this might involve affirming a hobby or noticing through a card or words what you see as positive characteristics in them. For your child, this might mean making them their favorite snack or delighting in a recent milestone or accomplishment rather than staying silent. In a friendship, this might look like encouraging a friend towards a goal of theirs even if you don’t quite understand why that is important to them.

Delighting in others is vital in healthy relationships. It often takes humility as well as grace to extend this to another person, especially when the relationship is in a tough spot. How have you celebrated others that are in your life lately? How might you take a step towards delighting in someone important in your life today?

For more information on behavioral health issues, or to seek assistance, go to www.pinerest.org