A Life Giving Birthday Tradition // The Tradition Series

Wednesday, February 25



I am so excited to kick off my series on traditions! If you missed this post, then I'll let you in on a little secret….I have a huge passion for incorporating traditions into our lives!! I believe so deeply that the sacred rhythms of every day and special events can bring the family closer, and cultivate incredible memories. My parents did such an remarkable job at making the ordinary so special by marking it with a family tradition. 

And…because my birthday is in a week and a half {March 9th….mark your calendars…j/k…but not} I am super excited to share this tradition with you! Birthdays are so sweet because they allow us to celebrate the unique and special place a person has in our life. We get to breath life into others on their birthday…helping them to see how valuable and loved they are. 

This first submission for a tradition comes from sweet Rachel. Here is her family's tradition: 

LIFE GIVING: 
"I believe there is great power in words, and we can use this power to strengthen or harm others. As humans, we can be our greatest critic, and the words of others can solidify our insecurities or be used to defeat them. Because of this, my family takes time on every birthday to do "life-giving." This is a time set aside to encourage, bless, honor, and love the birthday girl or boy. 

The time is used to say what we find true about the individual or how we see God revealed in their life. We speak truth about what God has for him/her for the next year, and how we saw God's handiwork in the past year of life. We celebrate the life lived and how grateful we are for his/her place in this family. After each person has said their piece, we then take time to pray for the individual. We pray for growth, joy, adventure, and peace in the new year of life. 

I love this intentionality and how we come together as a family to love one specific individual. This tradition grows depth of relationship in my family and makes space to honor one specific person. We all have busy lives, and we don't always get to spend intentional time with each other. This guarantees once a year every person is encouraged and blessed! "

Bio:
Hello! My name is Rachel Heckmann. I am married, 23 years old, living in Northern California, and seeking to live my life giving glory to God. I recently took a leap of faith to start my own photography and calligraphy business! If I am not working, you can find me outdoors, baking, running, drinking coffee with a friend, or cuddling my niece. I love my family and wouldn't be who I am without them. 
Blog // Instagram: @rawheckmann// Pinterest // Facebook // Email: hello@rachelallene.com


When Kevin and I lived in Nepal and worked at an aftercare home for girls rescued from sex-trafficking, we couldn't believe that none of them had ever celebrated a birthday before. I can remember one very distinct birthday we threw for a precious girl. We wore party hats, baked a cake, wrapped presents, and threw confetti. At the end of the day, we all went around and shared what we appreciated about her. She started to sob at the end of the sharing, and said that she had never felt so much love in her life. It was such an incredible moment to be a part of. To read more about another party we threw for one of our sweet Nepali girls, click here. 


I hope you can incorporate some life giving into your next birthday celebration!! I guarantee it will bless the birthday girl/boy in great ways!! 

If you want to submit a family tradition to Hope Engaged, I would love to hear it. Read more about how to submit here. 

Happy Wednesday! 

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