2010 Word for the Year

7 years ago, I picked a word for the year that I wanted to instill into my life. I wanted to make it more a part of who I was. I thought alot about what word to choose. I think I had read a book or heard a guest on the afternoon talk show or something, and so the word I choose was gratitude. 2 days into that year, my husband had a potential life ending accident and that word helped me remember what was important. I was reminded of all the things I had to be grateful for during that crazy year of recovery.

Fast forward to this year. My sister asked me if I had a word for the year. As I thought about which word to pick, one kept coming to mind. Hope. Hope for today. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for this year and where it will lead.




After 3 years of classes, studying, finals, and grades, Michael is graduating in May. And will be looking for a job in his field. I am hopeful for this transition. I am ready to have a working husband and an income. I am ready to move to wherever the job is and settle down. I am hopeful for this next season in our lives. For me, the word hope is intertwined with my faith and trust in the Lord God. I know without Him in my life, I would not have much hope, but because of Him, my hope can shine. I'm looking forward to this year and what adventure it will bring.

So how 'bout you? Do you have a word for the year?

Til next time ....

My Word for 2009

last week i was thinking of what word to choose for 2009. a couple came to mind that were wonderful. but they didn't quite fit right. i would have loved to have chosen them, cuz they were upbeat, fun kind of words. like hope, or joy. and tho, i do want those attributes in my life. i knew the word for this year would be a more challenging word, a stretching kind of word. cuz that's the kind of person i am.

and so as i continued to contemplate what word to pick, it came to me. for me, for this year, for this season in my life, the word contentment came to me. i want to be content. i want to live with more contentment. i want to purposefully be content with where i am. as opposed to being discontent and whiny and grumpy. i want to embrace this year. hubby is in school, #1 son is in 4th grade special needs class, we are living in a small college apt in boise. we don't have alot of extra money. but you know, we do have alot of good things in our lives. i want to dwell on the good and not the bad. what we do have, not what we don't have. and even as i set goals for myself and strive to do better, be better, i want to be content.

here are some pics i found on the web that speak contentment to me. enjoy!

Word for 2009

i'm pondering on a new word for 2009. for the past several years i have chosen a word to represent the new year, which i wrote about in detail here, some years i hit the mark, and others (like 2008) the word is a bit of a dud. one of my problems is remembering what word i have chosen!!

but this year, i want to try something different, or rather add something to my word. ali over at ali edwards also has been choosing a word for awhile, and she suggests creating a visual to remind you of your word all year long. being a visual person myself, i really like that idea. it can be as simple as just writing it on a piece of paper and taping it on your monitor, or as elaborate as making a scrap page with it, or creating a shadowbox. you choose! but the thing is, then you have something to look at, and remind yourself of what you are aiming for during the year.

here is a snippet of her ideas from her blog:

Now that many of you have chosen a word for the year, what will you do to keep it in mind throughout the year? It can be very simple or complex, a craft/scrapbooking project or a simple reminder in your planner or on your bulletin board. Some sort of visual reminder is a great way to add a bit of focus to your word.

Here's a couple ideas for honoring your word this year:

• Go through some magazines looking for your word or themes/phrases/etc that relate to your word. Cut them out and collage them together as a visual reminder. This could grow and expand throughout the year.
• Commission or locate a piece of jewelry that features your word. I am ordering a necklace with "vitality" from Lisa Leonard. Love this as a daily visual reminder.
• Print out a word card and place it where you will see it everyday (a bathroom mirror or refrigerator or bulletin board are all front and center).
• Start a journal to document thoughts, feelings, experiences you have with your word over the course of the year. This could be a visual journal or just focus on the words. Your journal could be as simple as a Word document on your computer.

she also has a list from last year of all the words that her readers chose for themselves. and she has ALOT of readers. after skimming thru the list i have several that i'm thinking over ... i haven't decided yet, but i do have 2 more days before 2009 is officially here, so i think i'm ok. for now.

how bout you? are you choosing a word to represent 2009? want to share what it is? are you creating a visual to remind yourself of your word? if you are, leave me a link. i want to see what you're doing!

and don't worry, once i decide, i'll share my word with you. and the visual i choose to make.

Welcome 2008

is anyone else having a hard time believing it is 2008 already? wasn't y2k just a while back? weren't we just partying like it was 1999 a few days ago? nope? me neither. i just have this feeling that the years are racing by, and i've been snoozing up in the grandstand.

but i am glad its a new year. i've always loved this time of year, and i love making new years resolutions, even if i don't keep them. i always have a bunch of resolutions and feel that at least by havign them, i get closer to the goal even if i don't accomplish them 100%.

for this year, nutrition and fitness are on the list again, along with praying for my family and friends. i started this in the fall and have really benefitted from the times i accomplish it. over the last month it got passed over way too often, so i'm hoping that by putting it on my list it'll become a priority again.

other than those, i'm still thinking and pondering on what to add to the list.

about 5 years ago, i also started choosing a word for the year. the first year i choose the word gratitude little did i know how appropo that word would be for me that entire year. God gave me lots of things to be grateful for. each year it has been awesome to see how the Lord has intertwined the word i've chosen into my life and shown Himself to me thru it.

this years word is freedom. freedom in Christ, freedom from bondage and slavery to the flesh. i'm excited to see how the Lord uses freedom this year in my life. what about you? have you ever chosen a word for a year? if not, what about this year? want to come along?