Celebrate with me!

the release of Not My Grandmother's Hymnal

We celebrate birthdays and holidays. We celebrate special occasions. We celebrate milestone moments in our lives. We celebrate one another.

Before celebrating became a festive activity, it was a solemn one. In the early 15th century a celebration was a religious event, a crowd of people gathering to honor or observe a ritual or rite. These celebrations required an authorized celebrant. Today anyone who participates in any kind of celebration is technically a celebrant.

Today, I am a celebrant. I am celebrating yesterday’s launch of my second book Not My Grandmother’s Hymnal: Composing a Curious Faith.

I am celebrating in the solemn and festive sense of the word. I intentionally didn’t schedule much for yesterday, giving myself space to simply be present. I spent time journaling, praying, singing, remembering. It was eerily warm for this time of year (70 degrees in March in Michigan), making for a wonderful afternoon to walk along the river (before going out for a slice of cheesecake).

As my feet moved among the thick dull grasses still weighed down from winter’s snow and along the dirt path muddy from melting ice, I celebrated changing seasons.

Honoring how harm begins to heal.
How questions inspire creativity.
How curiosity shapes what we believe.
How sorrow makes way for celebration.
How words shift in meaning and in purpose.

How my grandmother’s faith influences my own.
How her hymnal differs from mine.

Not My Grandmother’s Hymnal is the name of the book. It’s also the name of one of the poems inside. There’s so much I want to share about these poems and the experiences within them, but for this week, I’m simply celebrating their arrival. And inviting you to celebrate with me.

Here’s a video of the poem Not My Grandmother’s Hymnal.

If you already have your copy, you can read along on page 35.
If you haven’t got a copy yet, links to order are below.

I celebrate your presence here as I continue celebrating these poems coming to life.

What hymns are your favorite? Least favorite?
What hymn would your grandmother play in the jukebox?

Celebrating loudly, Rebecca

Order author signed copies of Not My Grandmother’s Hymnal here.

Or from the distributor here.

Or from Amazon here.