celebrating small successes

as someone who tends towards idealism and perfectionism, i'd prefer to celebrate the huge, amazing things that i (and others) have been able to do. but more and more, i realize that many of the greatest successes are really just a number of little successes and often the result of much effort along the way. and so i'm learning to celebrate the small successes.

in my own life, i see that in learning how to live in a different country in a community made of people different from me, each with his/her own weaknesses and strengths (both of which i bump into on account of living in community). and ordinary things in life, which sometimes seem unworthy of celebration, often have meant lots of time and effort every time on account of language and different regulations. and so i'm learning to celebrate the little things: of getting money on my mobil phone (thanks to Jackie for her old phone), to getting health insurance that covers me here and back in North America, to being able to read the newspaper, to understanding much of a sermon in dutch, to having a great conversation with a friend, to being able to lead a chapel all in dutch.

and in the community, there are even more reasons to celebrate the small successes. what with the many people and the many possibilities for things going wrong, things like the bathroom being regularly cleaned, supper being cooked regularly (and enough for everybody), people not taking things out of the fridge and cupboards for themselves, and things generally running on time/schedule are successes to be celebrated. the many hours that we spend sharing our lives over coffee and tea and meals and dishes and celebrating together are actually extraordinary in how they are an expected part of life here. being thanked for how much someone enjoyed doing dishes with me (or that her stomach hurt from laughing so hard) is something to be celebrated - because it shows one of the best parts of community: joy. and where there is joy, it is easier to hope and believe that God can work wonders amidst the many possibilities of things going wrong and the difficulties of living together, learning healthier patterns, and putting lives back together.

Br. Luc mentions this last part a bit in his last "blurb" over life here. In the blurb, he mentions that a couple of new people had come to live with us but left within a day or two of coming here. There is sadness involved in not being able to provide a place for people to start over again, but there are many difficulties in transitioning from a time of homelessness to the structure involved in living here. As br. Luc says "It is a very great step, after a period of homelessness to live independently again. Whoever is successful deserves a lot of admiration. On account of this, assistance is often so beautiful because you meet brave people who can give their life a positive turn. But sometimes it is difficult, like with these two people who left."

So since the large and amazing success stories take a lot of effort and time, every small success along the way ought to be celebrated, instead of focusing on what still needs to happen for living well. and so i'm learning to open my eyes to the small successes - whether they be my own steps towards well-being in growing competency in functioning here or whether they be the steps of others towards well-being in language, independence, raising children, and/or living out their faith.