I was not the cheerleader type. Having never successfully executed a cartwheel, or a splits, or even a modest round off, it never occurred to me to try out.  But there are other ways to cheer for your friends, and give them the boost they need to make it across the finish line, 

 

Last month I attended two showers. Much as I wished that the hosts would squirt us all with a garden hose, it was the kind where you bring a wrapped gift. One party was for a woman about to give birth to her first child, and the other was for a bride preparing to say "I do." Both times the festivity in the air was marvelous, as women and children from four generations arrived to celebrate this transition. 

 

"We are here to pin the river to the riverbank," the sister of the almost mom told us. "Our lives pour past us like rushing waters, and yet it is meaningful for us to gather to honor this woman, whom we all love."

 

People had traveled a distance for both occasions. No one had to coerce them to come. They wanted to. That is the miracle of it all. 

 

We welcome the chance to cheer for one another, to celebrate their milestones. Because our lives are more interwoven than appearances would suggest.