Processions! Pageants! Picnics! Roasted fowl! Bird-shaped pastries! Historically, European Christians celebrated Jesus’ ascension into heaven with symbols of flight and ascent.

Ascensiontide, the ten-day season beginning today, leads to Pentecost. How might we observe today’s Ascension Feast? We could share a chicken dinner with family and friends or decorate a batch of sweets inspired by ornithologist-baker Sarah MacLean. Her blog Bird on the Move features dozens of “biologically accurate bird cookies.”

After forty joy-filled days with the crucified-but-risen Christ, Jesus’ followers must have grieved bidding him goodbye yet again when he ascended. They surely needed time to weep, wait, wonder, and worship before they could accept the Holy Spirit’s fiery Pentecost gifts of language, dreams, prophecies, and power to perform—as Jesus had promised— even greater ministries than his.

Jesus’ promise extends to all Christians. Beyond Ascension scriptures and reclaimed culinary customs, this feast day invites us to hope that our waiting will lead to new beginnings and our griefs will turn to joy. Until the winds of Pentecost sweep in, we could treat Ascensiontide as a sacred season for grieving our goodbyes, releasing our grip on past attachments, and preparing to receive God-given healing. The promise is sure: Our losses will be divinely lightened. Our sorrows will take flight. Joy will alight like a lark in our hearts. We will rise to do good works for our risen and ascended Lord.