Just Say the Word!

The last few years I have had a "word" of the year.  Kind of. It was a word that just summed up my hopes and dreams for the year. And often it would change mid-year depending on the circumstances.

Earlier this past week, a friend of mine asked on Facebook what our "word" of the year was.

My wheels started turning.

The next day I went to lunch with a couple of friends. One of them mentioned having a word for the year.  She expounded on the idea by telling us about her sister's children (grown) choosing a character word to focus on. They would spend the year encouraging each other, praying for each other, sharing, etc.

And suddenly my spinning wheels went into overdrive.

I wanted not only a word for me but also for the kids.

I came home and shared my thoughts with Mark. Then we spent time discussing each child and selecting a character word for them.

The next couple of days, I spend some time writing (or in my case, typing) a letter to each child.  In the letter, I mentioned several highlights from the year past for that particular child. Some of the "highlights" were big things like making sports teams or school successes.  Others were a little more minor but still important like lost teeth.  I then went on to tell each child what we love about him/her (character and personality wise).  Then I concluded with a word we would focus on with them for the year. I brought in a Bible verse and then explained how working on these character traits would help them grow as people.

I won't say which word goes to which child but I will tell you what the words are...

Focus.

Patience.

Perspective.

Gratitude.

I left the letters by their breakfast spots to find in the morning. They each quietly read their letters without much fanfare.

Since then, we have had many opportunities to share and talk with each child. Sometimes in a chastising way, "Are you being patient right now?", sometimes in a teaching way like "Let's stop and look at this from a new perspective", and sometimes in a praising way like "You did such a great job focusing on that moment rather than rushing through it!"

I hope to spend the year praying for those traits for our kids, encouraging them through notes and e-mails and texts and words, and finding opportunities for the kids to practice their words.

Hubby chose a word for himself...courage.

And me? My word for 2014 is intentional.

I want to be more intentional in my life, doing things for a purpose.

That doesn't mean totally ignoring myself or not taking time to relax. 

That does mean things like...

• putting my phone up and out of sight more
• spending less time on the computer
• prioritizing my time
• seeking opportunities to spend one on one time with my kids
• seeking similar opportunities to spend one on one time with my husband
• making quiet times with God a priority
• doing a better job staying in contact with my grandmothers
• decluttering my house
• focusing on our finances and spending wisely
• being present...as a mom, a teacher, a wife, a daughter
• praying more
• seeking ways to help others (with God's guidance)
• listening more, talking less
• blogging more
• planning ahead
• creating memories
• reading more (for pleasure and for school)

I know some days I will fail.

Most days I will.

But I hope to keep these words ever present in our thoughts, our words, our prayers. And maybe, just maybe, we will emerge in 2015 (if God allows) a little wiser, a little better, a little changed.

What is your word for 2014?

Happy New Year!

Reba