Friday, December 30, 2022

My One Word for 2023

The end is near!  No... Not in some cryptic "person on a street corner with a sign" kind of way.  Tomorrow we'll see 2022 come to an end, and then we're moving on to 2023! 

For many people a new year means a new set of resolutions. For me it means a new word.  One word which is my focus and guide for the year. 

That word for 2033 is Explore.

Explore: to investigate, study, scrutinize, or analyze look into, to become familiar with by testing or experimenting, to search into or travel in for the purpose of discovery.

But, here's the thing...

As I began considering the word Explore and how it might take shape in the year ahead, something didn't quite feel settled. As if something was missing. At first I thought perhaps I had the wrong word.  I kept getting clues and signals that the word for the year was Explore. Yet, that feeling of incomplete didn't go away.

Then, one morning during my quiet time, I had a thought that changed everything.  

Perhaps a year of exploration isn't meant to stop at just one word. What if each month had its own word? A new word to explore each and every month.

Suddenly, it seemed as if all the pieces had clicked into place. That idea of one word for each month felt right. It was new and different. But also exciting. 

So, my one word for 2023 isn't just one word at all. While the word for 2023 is Explore - each month of the year will also have its own word.  I am not choosing all twelve words in advance. I trust that the word for each month will come to me according to where my focus needs to be and what I need to explore each month.

Do you set resolutions or make goals for the new year? Do you set a word as a focus for the year? Or do go in without any expectations, just waiting to see what the year brings?


Thursday, December 29, 2022

Thankful Thursday: December 29, 2022

 


I Am Thankful For:

Packages mailed

Kisses from my husband

New space heaters

Baking Christmas cookies with the grandkid

Jackets for the dogs

Every day I am given

Wrapping presents

Finding a bag of Christmas candy I had forgotten about

A surprise gift

Baked goodies from the neighbors

A quiet night before the busy weekend

Family gathered for Christmas

Games that make everyone laugh

Christmas morning

After Christmas deals

Christmas dinner leftovers

Toys that keep the dog entertained for a long time


Thursday, December 22, 2022

Thankful Thursday: December 22, 2022

 


I Am Thankful For:

My dog making me laugh 

A cute Christmas dress

Reaching my reading goal for the year

Picking up holds at the library

Coffee

Presents to wrap

Planning for Christmas break with the grandkid

Remote start to warm up the car

Breakfast out with my husband

Dreams for the future

Cute boots

Frosty mornings

Sunshine on a cold day

Christmas cookies

A warm house

Doggy snoops


Thursday, December 15, 2022

Thankful Thursday: December 15, 2022

 


I Am Thankful For:

Blasting Christmas music in the car

Peppermint patties

Scheduling a Christmas trip to Biltmore Estate

All current orders complete and shipped

It's been a good year 

Productive days

A cup of hot tea

My husband making the morning coffee

Homemade pizza night

Opportunity to help others

Cute Christmas earrings

Delivery workers/drivers

Time to sit and crochet

Christmas shopping done

Simple, nutritious meals

Ending the day with a Jameson and Ginger


Monday, December 12, 2022

December Thoughts on Abundance and Scarcity

Throughout this year of 'Abundance', I have come to realize how much of my life has been lived with an attitude of scarcity.  The fear of "not enough".


Always thinking that there's just not enough. Believing, somehow, that if someone else is getting something: time, attention, affection, praise, love, friends, readers, sales - that somehow, there won't be enough left for me.

That I'm not enough. Not pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, strong enough, or good enough. The belief that I am not enough to deserve or to earn the things I want or need for myself led to a lot of resentment, anger, jealousy, and self doubt over the years. 

Instead of living a life focused on abundance, I have allowed myself to believe it is one of scarcity. Like Eve, surrounded by a beautiful, lush garden, yet tempted by the one thing she couldn't have - I found my attention constantly drawn to what I thought I might be lacking. 

The cup was always half empty.

It's an ugly truth. One I didn't - I don't - want to acknowledge. But there it is. And the only way it can ever change is if I take a long, hard look at it.  Examine it for what it really is. Stop looking for the empty holes and instead focus on the promises God made about the abundant life he planned for us.

That he came so we could experience a full life (John 10:10)

That He has plans for us to prosper. To give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah

How, if we lean on Him, He can do so much more than we could ever even imagine (Ephesians 3:20)

That our confidence will be richly rewarded. (Hebrews 10:35)

If, like me, you have bought into the lie of scarcity for too long - it is time to let it go and grab the abundance!


Thursday, December 8, 2022

Thankful Thursday: December 8, 2022

 


I Am Thankful For:

Lunch with my son

Vegetarian chili 

December 

Christmas table setting

The perfect table runner 

Christmas shopping almost done

Fixed the Christmas lights by myself 

Dinner out with my husband

Christmas movies

Finding the perfect Christmas gift 

A big pot of homemade soup

Being married to my best friend

Lunch with my daughter

Orders completed

Leftover soup and sandwiches

Towels fresh from the dryer 

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Thankful Thursday: December 1, 2022

 


I Am Thankful For:

Help cleaning up

Christmas cactus blooming 

My husband fixing dinner

Cinnamon rolls

A perfectly cooked turkey

Thanksgiving day

Leftover pumpkin pie 

Black Friday shopping with my daughter

Christmas movies

Christmas tree

Quiet Sunday morning

Christmas decorating almost done

My husband picking up my prescription for me 

Bedtime

Dental insurance 

Christmas cards