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Archive for 2010
Compared to most holidays, American Thanksgiving has stayed true to its original intent. By the millions, Americans travel to be with other family members. Those of us who are not near family—orphans—gather together to partake in a meal with friends. Unlike holidays such as Labor Day or Memorial Day, Thanksgiving maintains a connection to the [...]
A fundamental principle of the Celebrant movement is that a well-lived life marks and honors important events, rites of passage, and transitions—those filled with joy, as well as those marked by sorrow. Celebrant-led ceremonies are not merely “events” noting some significant life milestone, but they provide context, resonance, remembrance, understanding, and healing for those involved. [...]
Long before I became a Celebrant, I had a little glimpse into my future work. Some years ago, I became aware of a terrific, fun book called The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Everyday. The book was written by Meg Cox, who is married to the fellow [...]
There is nothing more joyous than a child joining a family, by birth or adoption. And, the faith traditions with which we are familiar offer beautiful ceremonies to recognize and celebrate new life…baby naming ceremonies, the bris, and baptisms are but a few ways that congregations witness the addition of a new life in a [...]
The “Great Recession” that we have all endured over the last couple of years has left many individuals struggling to find their way after a job loss. Millions of Americans, due to no fault of their own, have lost jobs that provide social and intellectual satisfaction, in addition to an obvious means of financial support. [...]
One of the distinctive features of the Celebrant community is our commitment to honoring all of life’s major events and transitions, whether joy-filled or painful. Among the much-needed ceremonies of healing in our repertoire is the divorce ceremony. In recent years, the popular media has promoted the idea of “divorce parties.” These parties—a cross between [...]
