Faith Cora and I played addition and subtraction yesterday. It all started when she told me she needed to make some “imbitations” for her friends Jonathan and Vivien (who, I understand, are quite accomplished dancers). I never discerned the event calling for imbitations, but that didn’t deter us. She put smiley faces on railroad tracks, stars on sticks, and signs on zigzags; but near the end, told me that I should finish them because it was too much work.

 

She’s been counting for a while now and has a pretty good numbers sense; so when I asked her how many there were, she dutifully counted out eight.

 

She loves new words and, if I purposefully use an unknown interesting one without slowing the conversation, she’ll stop me and ask what that means.

 

I suggested we take the imbitations and do some addition. She agreed and we began playing “plus” cards and “take away” cards. She’d make the equation, I’d voice it, and then she’d count out the answer. Then I’d make a huge whoop-de-whoop-gimme-five celebration over her correct answers; and she’d gimme-five with her feet. Eventually we did all our gimme-fives using my feet and hers.

 

Probably the reason my back hurts today.

 

Then we did subtraction and celebrated with many more feet-ed gimme-fives. We stopped before she got bored; and then she found a safe hiding place for each of her imbitations.

 

Later, when mommy came to get her, we demonstrated our new addition and subtraction game complete with multiple feet-ed gimme-fives.

 

That evening when her daddy asked what she and Mama Jan had done that day, she responded, “Oh, we did addition and subtraction”.

 

I’m pretty sure we nailed some of those learning moments with our feet-ed gimme-five celebrations.

 

Celebrations are wonderful, but I’ve not reached my brand-new age without learning that life is also full of non-celebratory moments and seasons. However, it makes me smile to know that Jesus, the quintessential Man of sorrows, was also a celebrator of the highest glory order. He whooped-it-up with the very best for last; and everything about his life is worth emulating.

 

So. My goal is to celebrate all the moments that I possibly can—especially with the people who call me Mama Jan.

 

 

 

“A host always serves the best wine first,” he said.

 

“Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink,

he brings out the less expensive wine.

 

But you have kept the best until now!”

 

This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee

was the first time Jesus revealed his glory.

 

John 2:10-11