I hope that you all had a wonderful long, lazy 4^th of July weekend! I know I did…in fact, this was the first 4^th 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 5^th 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

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This past weekend, I was privileged to join myTeam Triumph in the Riverbank Run. I wasn’t planning on running this event, but was invited by some of my running friends to join in—and I am so glad I did! This was my first experience running in support of this organization. Our team, consisting of several “angels” as the runners were called, pushed our “Captain,” Kate, through the course and across the finish line. The weather was cold and dreary, but spirits were not! It was such an encouragement to experience so many people cheering for Kate along the way.

This experience again reminded me of the importance of encouragement—both receiving it and giving it. Each time the cheers came, people yelling “You can do it!” or “Way to go!” I felt more energy in my steps. I noticed that the crowd support also did the same for many other runners on the course who were beginning to look quite weary (especially after mile 10!)—bringing smiles to their faces or motivating them to keep on going.

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