Celebrating Eighty Years

I’ve had May 8, 2025, marked on my calendar for a few months. It was the 80th anniversary of VE-Day, or Victory in Europe, commemorating Germany’s surrender in World War II. We don’t celebrate this occasion in the US, because it wasn’t the end of the war for us. We were still at war with Japan. Our “VJ-Day” (Victory over Japan) was August 15, 1945.

I knew my buddies in the UK would be busy celebrating VE Day on May 8th, and I planned my own little party, watching streaming ceremonies and World War II documentaries. I even bought a VE-Day shirt to wear. I followed along with the commemorative events online and watched several clips of footage from the actual day in 1945. What a celebration! Everyone was filled with so much joy that they had to dance and shout. I can only imagine what it felt like to share that kind of energy.

But then white smoke came out of the chimney over the Sistine Chapel, and I shifted gears.

No one could have predicted that the new Pope would be elected on May 8th after only four ballots were cast. (Not even to mention that he’d be an American.) The TV coverage was excellent, and I sat in awe at the images of the crowds of people waiting and then celebrating as Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony for the first time. I was caught up in the moment. I was honored to witness the history and thrilled to see so many happy faces cheering and engaging with one another, celebrating tradition.

And then it occurred to me: The old film footage of the street parties in England in 1945, at the end of the war, looked exactly like what was currently happening in Vatican Square, eighty years apart. Thousands of people gathered together to celebrate the outcome they had been awaiting. Friends, family, strangers; everyone felt so much joy that they had to gather together to share the emotion. It was uncontainable. Joined together by a common cause.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We haven’t changed much in the last eighty years. Or at least, we haven’t surrendered all of the good qualities. We thrive in community with one another, regardless of how much we try to isolate ourselves. Coming together in times of crisis and celebration will always build bonds with those around us. Just imagine what our society would look like if we focused on finding the joy in celebration in our everyday lives. And we can’t do it alone. The emotions are magnified when we share them with others.