Words For Life

January is here and I'm wide awake for it.
Ready to claim my place in all of the history books of Me.
If you had asked how my 2018 went,
even a month ago,
I'd have shook my head and said "it was rough".
But that's not the truth.
Not the whole truth, anyway.

Upon further reflection, as I was writing in my personal journal
on New Year's Eve
I started to chronicle my past year
and discovered that alot of really awesome opportunities
were given to me and mine
and I actually had much to be thankful for--
especially the gift of Time.

Whereas I've been working for more than a decade--
part-time, full-time, double-time
in any number of ventures,
2018 was not a Year of Work.
It was more than that--
a year of healing
a year of reconnecting
a year of travel
and discovering that my definition
of Adventure
more closely resembled the definition of
"vacation" (noun. an extended period of recreation, especially spent away from home or in travelling.)
than the true meaning of Adventure altogether.
It means "unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity."
This reality check helps when I am uncomfortable in my current situation--
that is,
living in Eugene, Oregon and missing my Colorado Springs.
We are definitely having an Adventure!
Still, 2018 was good to me.  Better than good, it was also Kind and Giving.
I had time to do alot of things that I haven't had before and that was a true Gift.

My word for 2018 was Patience.
I will claim it as a Win. I was patient when I didn't want to be.
I was patient with the people I love when it wasn't easy.
I was patient with my circumstances.
I was patient with my Heavenly Father, when I couldn't see His view clearly
or understand why, no matter how much I pleaded,
a certain child made a choice that would lead her in an uncertain direction.
But I loved her anyway. I have to claim that. I stepped in when I wanted to step away.
I had three important opportunities to show and exhibit Patience,
and I passed.

Last night, as I was settling down for sleep,
I entertained different feelings for how I wanted to claim a word
for 2019--
I'm going to try some new things this year--
and when I say "new" I mean: I've never done this before,
it's not going to be easy, but I believe I can do it.
The word that came floating to the top of the Word Pile:
REACH.

It applies to all that I hope I can do in 2019:
Reach for my goals,
Reach for stronger family relationships,
Reach for a greater faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Reaching out to serve others along the way too.
Reach deeply for peace and gratitude, come what may.

So there's my word.

In 2007,
during a particularly hard year,
I had a gal over to my house for an Uppercase Living party.
I wasn't in the mood for a party,
but felt somewhat obligated to host this for a friend.
As part of the demonstration,
the Demonstrator gal showed how easy it was to affix the vinyl letters
to the wall.
She let me chose one word among 3 offerings
and I chose "TRANSFORM".
I don't know why I chose that one,
but in that moment, I casually thought I'd just pull it off once the guests
had left the house.
But I didn't.
I left it up there for almost a year.
It was on a livingroom wall that led into my bedroom--
I passed it a zillion times a day and somewhere in there,
I began touching those vinyl letters
as I walked by them,
absorbing, accepting and appreciating
the word, "Transform" into my life.
That word helped me get thru a very hard time.

Words matter.
The words we use make a house in us.
 What's your word of the Year?