Megan Cottam learns a lesson from her daughter on the power of positivity.
It was a typical school afternoon. We entered the house as the kids dumped their backpacks and raided the pantry for an afternoon snack. I sought out the remnants of lunches, notes home from teachers, or any surprises that may have made their way into my children’s backpacks for that day.
As I was unzipping the spot that typically contains the snack wrapper that seems to never quite make it to the classroom trashcan, out popped countless scraps of paper which had been ripped into the littlest of pieces. “What a mess!” I thought. My daughter’s organizational skills can best be described as “messy-chic” but she had really outdone herself this time.
“Umm … What is this?!” I started, expecting some sort of vague apology for the mess.
“That’s my emergency confetti!” Jackie declared proudly. Of all of the possible answers I was expecting, that was not one of them.
“What now?!” I uttered, trying to comprehend.
“My emergency confetti,” she repeated, as though this was as necessary and normal as a first-aid kit. “You never know when you need to celebrate a moment!”

A Culture of Joy
After delving deeper into this situation, it turns out that my daughter had been keeping a handful of scraps on her at all times — in her backpack, her pocket, even her desk at school, and whenever there was a cause for celebration, she would throw her confetti in the air in a burst of joy.
Immediately concerned for the potential havoc she was causing, I followed up at a parent-teacher conference. Before I could begin to explain, her teachers brought up the topic as a reason Jackie specifically modeled positivity in the classroom.
“Yes, the other day, we found out it was a student’s birthday, and thank goodness for your daughter. I could just say, ‘Jackie! Cue the emergency confetti!’ and we could honor him. It has become a ritual.”
Apparently, these little scraps of insignificant paper had been turned into a culture movement at school to seek out and spread joy. Whenever there was a bit of good news, students and teachers would turn to my daughter for her stash of confetti, relying on her readiness at any given moment.
Are You Ready to Celebrate?
This led me to an important question about how I navigate my own daily life. There are always tiny reasons to choose joy in our days. Do I ignore them, or do I take notice and celebrate them in gratitude to God for His gifts? I certainly am quick to move on to the next task or challenge. Our eyes find what we seek, and our days often match our expected emotions.
Lately, I had been guilty of setting my expectations for stress or bad news. Instead of joy, I was inviting encounters of drama, despair, or anxiety. It was time to change my own tone and invite others to do the same. If joy found me in my current condition, it would only be by accident.

If we can anticipate joy, we then gain the posture to accept and celebrate it well. My daughter can always find a reason to throw her emergency confetti because she has prepared her heart to do so. We too must stand at the ready to celebrate life.
Confetti or not, may we thank God for His gifts today, and learn to celebrate them well.
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Copyright 2026 Megan Cottam
Images: (top, bottom) Canva; (center) copyright 2026 Megan Cottam, all rights reserved.
About the Author
Megan Cottam
Megan Cottam, Lay Ecclesial Minister in the Diocese of Richmond, has focused her ministry on early childhood formation (0-5), parent and family agency, and the sacramental life in the domestic church. Wife to Deacon Steven and mom to two wonderful young children, she is learning how to live out her faith at home with each daily opportunity for grace!

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