Reflection

My One Word for 2023 is Explore. In the spirit of exploration, I made the decision not to stop at one word this year - but to also have a word for each month.

For November that word is: Reflection

Every year as my birthday comes around on the first of November, I find myself reflecting on my life.  I look back at where I have been and how far I have come over the previous years. I think about where I am now. And I consider where I want to go, what I want to do,  and who I want to be in the future. 

I am reflecting on my personal patterns, habits, and behaviors. What's still working for me? What's no longer working? What can I remove, add, or change to improve my life?

With only two months left in the calender year, this is often when I start thinking about the next one. I reflect on how I did with my goals for the current year and what I might want to accomplish in the next year. I am also reflecting on my one word for next year by looking back at this year and considering making a significant change

This isn't a time for self doubt, criticism, comparison, or negative self talk. Although, if I'm being honest - it sometimes turns into that and has to be guided back to something more positive and constructive. This time of reflection is about remembrance, honest evaluation, and dreaming/planning.

Do you regularly spend time in self reflection and evaluation?

Family

My One Word for 2023 is Explore. In the spirit of exploration, I made the decision not to stop at one word this year - but to also have a word for each month.

For August that word is: Family

My father was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Austria just after World War II ended. He was given up for adoption at age 2, and  was sent to the US to be adopted at age 5.  He knew his biological mother's name thanks to having his original birth and baptism certificates. 

My husband is very into genealogy and over the years we tried to find any information about her, without any luck.  He even bought me one of the Ancestry. com DNA tests several years ago. 

Flash forward to a few months ago where I am DNA matched with a woman as being first or second cousins on my paternal side. And there's my biological grandmother's name in her family tree.  I think it's fair to say that I was in a state of shock and needed to just sit with that information for a little while. 

Finally, the Man of the House convinced me to contact her.  I explained my story and asked what she could tell me about my grandmother. She quickly responded that was her grandmother and that knew her grandmother had given a child for adoption while she was in the camp in Austria. The child's name was my father's name. I immediately started crying and told the Man "It's her!" I messaged back and forth with this newly found cousin for the rest of the evening.

The next morning I texted my dad and told him that I had information about what happened to his birth mother and asked him if he wanted to know what I had discovered. He asked if he could come right over!

I was able to tell him that she had immigrated to Canada in 1949. Unfortunately, she had passed away in 2008, but he has four younger siblings - three brothers and a sister. All still living in Ontario. His mother had never made a secret of him and had tried to find him over the years through the Red Cross with no success. 

My father was able to start communicating with some of his siblings, and last week we made the trip to Canada to meet all of them!  He and his wife drove, while I flew up and met them there. 

It was a wonderful, amazing, crazy, and emotional few days! Honestly, since the very first moments - this has been like living out the plot of some movie.

It's incredible how much my father and his brothers look alike. They have the same hair and eyes. They even have some of the same mannerisms.  There seemed to be an immediate connection between all of them.

It gave me so much joy to see him discovering this missing piece of his story. To get some answers to questions he has always had. And to start building a relationship with his siblings.  I'm so thankful to have been able to play a part in giving that to him.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting my aunt, my uncles, and cousins. They were all so welcoming and kind. I enjoyed hearing stories about my grandmother. It helped me to feel closer to her and to get to know her from those who knew and loved her.  

And I'm happy to say that the cousin I was matched with to start this whole journey and I message, email, and text each other regularly. I now consider her not just my cousin, but also a friend.

And that's why my word for September is Family.

Healthy

My One Word for 2023 is Explore. In the spirit of exploration, I made the decision not to stop at one word this year - but to also have a word for each month.

My word for June has been Healthy.

When I went for my yearly physical exam and labs in April, my numbers weren't great.  The good news is that they haven't gotten any worse. But, there wasn't much improvement either. This got me thinking about my overall health.

I'm not getting any younger. But I want to be around for as long as possible. I want to see my grandkids grow up. And maybe get the chance to meet my great grandkids. 

That's not going to happen if I don't take better care of myself.

It's not about being slimmer.  That would be nice, but it wasn't the focus.  It was about improving my cholesterol and blood sugar. It was about improving my energy levels.  It was about improving the quality of my sleep.  It was about how I feel and how I feel about myself. 

I ate more lean proteins, whole grains, and vegetables. I tried to snack more on fruit and less processed snacks. I cut back on the zero sugar soft drinks and drank more water. 

I made time to care for myself. Revamping my skincare routine.  Doing face masks, conditioning hair treatments, and giving myself regular mani/ pedis. 

I took the opportunity to meditate a couple of times a week.  I made time for prayer along with my morning devotional times. I read more and watched the television (especially the news) less. I stood outside and felt the sun on my face.

I know there's still plenty of room for improvement. I didn't exercise as much as I had hoped to do. Or drink as much water.

But right I'm choosing not to focus on what else I could have done. I'm choosing to be proud of what progress I did make, to continue with these healthier habits and to build from there.

Love

If you've read my One Word for 2023 post, you know that this year I decided that I will also have a word for each month.  (if you haven't read that post yet - go ahead and do it now. I'll be right here when you're done)

My word for February is Love.

It seems appropriate since this is the month of Valentine's day, but I'm not focusing on romance when I think about the word love. For the month of February (and beyond) love is about so much more than hearts, and cupids, and chocolates.

When I think about a life of Love, for me, it all starts with Mstthew 22:37-39.

Love God.  Love others as yourself. So, this month I will focus on:

Loving God.  Taking time each day to read Scripture and to pour out my heart to him in prayer.  To meditate on what His word says about His love for me. And what it tells me I should be doing to love others. 

Loving myself.  Showing myself appreciation..  Focusing on the beauty and strength of my body and spirit instead of perceived negatives.  Appreciating the stage of life I am in and living it to the fullest. Showing myself some kindness in the form of self-care.  And treating myself to activities and things that bring me joy.

Loving others. Making time to connect with family and friends. Telling the people I care about that I love them - with both words and actions. Expressing kindness to others.  Treating them the way I would want to be treated.

And, yes - since Valentine's day is this month, I'm sure there will be some lovey-dovey,  romantic moments with the Man of the House tossed in for good measure. And maybe some chocolates. Because- why not?

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?

November Thoughts on Abundance

As my year of focusing on 'Abundance' joins the month most often associated with gratitude, I find myself thinking about how the two go hand- in-hand.

As I have spent the past 10 months thinking about, reading about, and learning about abundance - I have come to believe that you can not experience true abundance without gratitude. 

If you are not thankful for the things that you have and are not grateful for the abundance in your life - it is never going to feel like enough. It doesn't matter how much you have. It doesn't matter how rich, full, or satisfying your life is.  Without gratitude, that abundance will always feel more like scarcity.

On the other hand,  if you live life with a thankful heart, full of gratitude for the things you have, it can always feel like an abundance.  No matter how little you may have, if you are thankful for it - it will always feel like plenty.

When we are grateful, we aren't focusing on the things we don't have. We are too busy being thankful for what we do have.  This focus magnifies and increases it in our hearts and minds.

Do you have a gratitude practice, such as writing in a gratitude journal or keeping a gratitude list, to help you focus on your abundance?  Tell me about it in the comments!

February Thoughts on Abundance

One morning recently, I left a pitcher to fill with water in the sink while I was taking care of another chore. I misjudged the time and came back to find the water overflowing and going down the drain.  Turning the water off, I was reminded of my word for this year: Abundance.

We can only keep so much for ourselves. There is only so much any one person can hold, use or even appreciate. It's just like the water overflowing the full pitcher.  Going down the drain. Unused and wasted.

We are never meant to just accumulate the abundance.  Hoarding it for ourselves. We are meant to pour the overflow - the abundance - out to others.

It's in the giving that we are able to receive abundance.  We have to pour out some of the abundance - sharing it with others - in order to make room for the more of abundance to continue flowing into our lives .

January Thoughts on Abundance

For my word of the year for 2022 - Abundance - I try to spend sometime each day with the word.  This might be thinking about abundance - what it looks like and means to me, what it might mean to others, etc. Sometimes I look up Scripture verses related to abundance. Or I might read a book about Abundance. Or look for quotes on the subject.  My hope is to share some of the thoughts or insights this gives me each month with all of you.

As I pondered on the word during this first month of the year, I began to think it's possible that finding abundance doesn't start with obtaining more or "having it all".  

Maybe it begins with just enough.

Perhaps you can't have true abundance until you realize that what you have is enough. That you are enough.  

It's only when you are able to realize and appreciate the enough-ness of your life and yourself that you can begin to recognize and appreciate the more-than-enough that is abundance.

My One Word: Abundance

It's that time of year again.  As 2021 has turned the page to 2022, everyone is setting resolutions and goals for the new year.  I'm not much for resolutions.  It's not that I don't like making them - I love new year resolutions! It's that I never keep them.  This is why several years ago I stopped making resolutions and started selecting one word each year to guide me throughout the year.  

For 2022, that word is "Abundance".

I always feel like I don't have to think much about picking the word. Most years a word just keeps coming up again and again, pressing into my heart and mind until I recognize it as the word for the next year. This year the word started as "more", but then as I began thinking about what that would look like for the year - it began to shift toward "abundant".

This word has the potential to be a bit tough for me. I often think from a mindset of scarcity or frugality. So to live life with an attitude of abundance is going to take a bit of a paradigm shift.

For me, abundance isn't about wealth (or not just about wealth). Abundance is about living life with my mind, my heart, and my arms open to receive the overflowing of the abundant life that God promises and all the good things that brings.

An abundance of joy and love. 

An abundance of health. 

An abundance of strength - in mind, body, and spirit 

An abundance of faith that God will provide beyond my wildest expectations. 

An abundance of creativity for creating new content for the blog and items for my Etsy shop.

An abundance of gratitude for all that I have.

Abundance means believing that what I have is enough and being secure enough in that to openly share the overflow with others that are in need. 

So, here's to 2022 - the year of abundance!

Do you select a word for the year? If so, tell me yours in the comments.  Or share what abundance means to you. 

My One Word for 2021

Instead of making New Year resolutions, some people choose One Word for the year.  Sometimes the word seems to pick you.  Such was the case with my word for 2021.

I love it when my word for the next year comes to me early - usually in the late fall sometime. That's what happened this year.  Around the end of October or the beginning of November, my One Word for 2021 first became known to me.  

The word that presented itself was "Challenge"

My initial reaction?  "Oh - NO, thank you." After the year that 2020 turned out to be, the last thing I wanted was more challenges in my life!  I mean, c'mon! Give a gal a break already! Amiright?  How about "calm"?  Or "peace"?

The word kept coming up.  Everywhere I turned there seemed to be a new sign pointing me in that direction. I wasn't going to be easily convinced though.  I thought about it.  A lot.  I prayed about it.  A LOT.  I kept asking God over and over to give me another word for 2020.  An easier word. Any. Other. Word.  

But as week after week passed and we moved closer to the end of the year, Challenge persisted in its campaign to become the One Word for 2021.  It weighed on my mind.  It began to create a hazy image of what a year of Challenge might look like. Surprisingly, it wasn't necessarily bad.

So...  I surrendered to the word.  And that's how "Challenge" became my One Word for 2021.  

2021 will be a year for me to challenge myself.  A challenge to let go of all the baggage from 2020 and move forward to whatever the future holds for me. To try new things.  To stretch outside the cozy little comfort zone that all the uncertainty of the past year inspired me to create for myself.  It will be a year for challenging myself to create new routines and habits and let go of ones that I have outgrown. To try new things.  To have new experiences.  A year for growth and renewal.

Do you set resolutions or select a word or phrase to guide you through the year?  Tell me about it in the comments!

My One Word: Intentional

A new year.  Days spread out before us like blank pages.  How will we fill them as they unfold?  What will our life look like once the next  twelve months haves passed us by?

We can't know what the future holds.  But we hope it's something good.  In order to try to fulfill that sense of promise which comes with fresh beginnings, some people choose to set goals or intentions.  They make new year's resolutions.

I personally select one word each year to provide focus and guidance for the year ahead.  It's not a new idea.  A quick search of  "one word" or "my one word" will show you a list of websites promoting the idea as well as plenty of other bloggers talking about their own word for the year.

In order for the concept of one word to work, you have to commit to it.  You have to soak yourself in it over the course of the year.  You have to make it part of your daily life and be intentional about it. 

And that last sentence brings us to what seems a good place to introduce my One Word for the year:

(I know... "intentional" is a sort of buzz word right now.  Right up there with "self-care" and "mindfulness".  But you know what?  That's OK.)

So, what does "intentional" mean?

in·ten·tion·al

/inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

adjective: intentional

1. done on purpose; deliberate.

   
   

In a nutshell, it's about making plans with the purpose of attaining specific end goal.  

I often find myself drifting through the days, following a routine and doing certain activities - not because they're actually fulfilling a purpose or accomplishing much of anything, but just because that's what I've gotten used to doing them or just to fill time.  But I no longer want to just drift through.  I want to do things on purpose.  With intention.

I want to be more intentional about:

How I spend my time.  Not mindlessly spending time watching tv or wasting away hours doing things that I don't care about or that don't enhance my life or the life of people around me in some way. 

Pursuing my relationship with God.  Seeking His will and His purpose for my life.  Spending more time in prayer listening for His voice and guidance.  And learning to be silent and still to hear His voice.

My relationships with others  Focusing on my loved ones and making sure they know that I love and appreciate them.

My health  Continuing my weight loss journey and taking time to care for myself.  I only have one body and I have to take care of it if I expect it to carry me well into the future.

My words.  Thinking before I speak.  Writing more.   

My work.  Not letting my Etsy shop glide along on cruise control, but taking new and deliberate steps to improve it. 

As I live this year of "Intentional", I want to make the hours I have each day really count.  When I create my To-Do list, I want to view it as opportunities to serve others and to worship God.  

Do you have a word for the year, or do you make resolutions?  Share yours in the comments!

My One Word: JOY

If you're like me (and I have a feeling that many of you are)  - new year's resolutions just never seem to work out.  At the beginning of every year, I used to make a list of resolutions.  And every year, I would come to the end of December having succeeded in few - if any - of them.  It was quite frustrating.  And very discouraging.

Gone are the long lists of resolutions.  Now I have one word which becomes my focus for the year.  A word to study, to meditate on, to incorporate into my life and help me move closer to being the person I am meant to be.

This year's word is...  JOY

JOY:
(noun)  a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  a thing that causes joy.
(verb)  rejoice.


I want to find joy in all things.  To have it soak through every aspect of my life.  My attitude.  My marriage.  My relationships.  My work.  To experience the joy that isn't felt only in the good times, when circumstances are good.  But the kind of joy that is present even when things are tough.  The type of joy that is found in the presence of the Lord.  And to share that joy with others.

Do you make new year's resolutions?  Or do you have one word for the year? 

My One Word: LOVE

It's that time again... when I select one word to be my focus for the next year.  Each year, I start praying about my word and thinking about it around October.  Somehow the word always seems to find me rather than having to go looking for it.   In past years that work has been Fearless, Better, and - most recently - Simplify. 

For 2018 my word is:  LOVE

I anticipate this year being a journey of three stages based on Matthew 22: 37-39...

"Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"


Love of God:  Sinking deeper into His Word to develop a better understanding and appreciation of His great unconditional for myself and the world at large. As a result, I expect my own love for Jesus to deepen and mature

Love of Myself:  Learning to love and appreciate myself for the unique individual God created me to be.  Taking better care of myself - spiritually, emotionally, and physically through kindness, acceptance and grace.

Love of Others:  Demonstrating LOVE to those around me. Especially family and friends.  But also strangers and even to the seemingly unlovable.

Do you have a word for 2018?

My One Word - 2017

This year my One Word is:

For me, this means...

To simplify my possessions, my to do list, my activities, what I eat.

To simplify life in general. Making make room for what truly matters.

To make quiet spaces for focusing on my relationship with God and the people he has placed in my life.

To do less, so I can so it better.

To have less, so I can appreciate what I have more.

To get rid of old routines and habits that no longer work or make sense.


What are your goals or resolutions for 2017?

Better in 2016

Resolutions and I had a love/hate relationship for years.  I loved making them with every new year.  By March I hated myself when it became clear that I was not going to achieve most (or all) of them. It never ended well. This is why for the past few years I have selected one word as a focus for the year rather than making resolutions.

The word always seems to present itself to me in some way as the current year draws to a close.  I never have to go looking too hard for it.  Usually an idea comes from somewhere and then keeps recurring in different ways.  Like directional signs on life's highway, telling me that this is indeed the way I am supposed to go.  Gentle hints from God that this should be my focus for the coming year.

For 2016 the word that has been given to me is Better:

Better relationships.

Better health.

Better work habits.

Better organization and planning.

Better communication with the Lord.

A Better year.

A Better life.

A Better me.

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

SEEK 2015

I haven't actually said it here yet, so... Happy New Year!

Yes, 2015 has arrived. Quietly for me.  Slipping in without fanfare, bells, or whistles.  And I am perfectly OK with that.  More than OK.  Really just the way I like it.

So here we are.  A new year.  Which for many people means a new set of resolutions - or goals if you prefer.  For the second year in a row, for me it means a new word.  A new focus for the year.

Until the morning of January 1, I thought that word was going to be 'Pray'.  It was a good enough word and aligned well with some thoughts I had been having recently.  Pray seemed like a nice choice.

But that morning the word 'SEEK' presented itself.  Staring me almost quite literally in the face.  And at that moment I felt the Spirit nudging me towards Matthew 6:33.

Something clicked into place.  And quite at the last moment- 2015 became a year to SEEK.

A year to Seek: Joy, Love, Knowledge, New Experiences, Contentment, a spirit of Gratitude, Peace, Wisdom, Friendship, and Health.

But first and foremost to SEEK God.  His kingdom.  His righteousness. His will.  A closer relationship with Him.

Knowing that by doing this - all these other things will be given to me as well. According to His promise.

So this year, I will SEEK.

SEEK God's will for me.  SEEK His best for me.  SEEK to serve and encourage others.  SEEK to be the very best me - the woman God intends for me to be.

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

Trust Replaces Fear

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." ~ Psalm 9:9-10

It hit me like a lightening bolt as  I read this verse.  Trust.  The key to living my word for 2014 - "Fearless" - is in trusting God.

As if God himself had leaned over my shoulder, pointed at the words and whispered: "Here's where you need to start". With trust.  

I have trouble trusting God.

That's a hard thing to admit. But there it is... I don't fully trust God.  Not completely.  Not the way He would have me trust Him.
 
I realized that although I say I trust Him.  Although I want to trust Him completely.  There are areas I hold back.  Times I try to go my own way.  Fix things my way.  Areas of uncertainty.  And fear.

I know I don't have to be afraid. I know God keeps His promises.  He has plans to prosper me.  He loves me.  He will never leave me or forsake me. Scripture tells me these things over and over again.  I can trust Him.  Completely.

But there has still been a small corner in the back of my mind waiting to be hurt, letdown, disappointed, found lacking somehow.  Even by God. 

Seeing this clearly for the first time shook me to my very core.

Maybe the realization of and admitting the lack of trust... the fear to trust... is that first step towards complete and total surrender. The first step to living FEARLESS.

It won't be easy - this letting go. But a life lived without trusting God - really trusting Him - is a life lived in fear.

Trust replaces the fear.

The knowledge that God has this, that it's all part of His plan.  It pushes the fear away and frees us to walk the path He places before us.  Where ever that path leads us.

Trust. Without reservation.  Without holding back.  Without fear

You can find me connecting at these Blog Hops and Link Ups

My One Word: FEARLESS

When I first began thinking and praying on my one word for 2014 I never imagined that fearless would be revealed to me. In all honesty, when I began thinking along the lines of "fearless" - I had a moment.

 I mean...Fearless?

Really?

You must have the wrong gal.  If there is one thing I am not - it's fearless.

But it kept coming up:

"Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged" (Joshua 8:1).

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7)

"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7)

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news, that will cause great joy for all people'" (Luke 2:10)

Everywhere I turned, the message of fearlessness, courage, and bravery seemed to be in my face. Why, even the women's Bible study at my church for the new year is "I am BOLDER than..."


So apparently there it is... my word for 2014: Fearless.

To live free from the "what ifs".  Free from worry.  Free from anxiety - about what could happen, might happen, or should happen.

It is trusting. Trusting God's plan for my life. Trusting His word.  Having faith that He has plans to prosper me and not to bring me harm (Jeremiah 29:11).Belief that He came so I could live an abundant life. (John 10:10) That he will supply for all my needs (Philippians 4:19).

It means facing situations and circumstances that scare me.  Taking a deep breath and stepping into the fear - in faith.  Knowing that while I might not be strong or courageous enough on my own, I can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)

Not letting the fear of failure stop me from doing what I feel called to do.  Knowing that if it is meant to be, I can't fail. And if I fall on my face, it wasn't meant to be and the Lord will pick me up and set me back on the right path.

Trusting in God's plan for me.  Walking in obedience.  Using the Lord as my strength and shield. (Psalm 28:7) My refuge and my help (Psalm 91:2).

Living a year of faith, abundance, strength, and obedience.

Fearless.