2024 Word of the Year

For the last several years, I've been choosing a focus word and a matching Bible verse for each new year in lieu of setting impossible or overwhelming goals and resolutions. Each year's focus word drives my studies and the places I tend to seek the highest growth and development in myself and my life.

This practice is applicable to people of all areas and walks of life (you could choose a particular quote or other saying, if you prefer), but for me as a Christian, the process of choosing my word each year comes along with a lot of prayerful seeking and looking for repeating themes and phrasing in my Bible studies, the conversations I have, and the teachings of my church as each year ends. This year (2023), my word was Persevere (Romans 5:3-5), and let me tell you, that word was actually an incredible encouragement as my family faced a very difficult year. It kept me focused and moving forward, gave me peace of mind, and helped me keep my perspective on seeking lessons rather than losing hope.

From around March to October of this year, these are some of the larger challenges our family faced:

• I started an intense weekly training as part of the process of joining my church's branch of the Stephen Ministry, which meant showing up to a two hour class every week, on a school night, hopefully having completed that week's homework and reading assignments. (I did it, only missed one class, and completed the course to become a Stephen Minister.)
• My car broke down about eleventy-zillion times. (It suddenly stopped doing this in October and has been fine ever since.)
• Our TV died. Then our washer died, too. (Both have now been replaced.)
• My oldest daughter had a major health scare which put her in a wheelchair for several months. My family spent those months seeking answers with unparalleled determination, juggling a  headstrong nineteen year old with a sudden inability to walk - while living in a two-story townhouse apartment. (She's back to walking, but still has good days and bad ones.)
• My youngest daughter had multiple health issues which required lots of care and added about four new doctors to her specialist list. (She's doing okay and under great care!)
• I had a minor health scare with the suggestion of cancer thrown in, and I'm pretty sure I had frozen shoulder for a while, which sucked because it was my left-shoulder and fun fact, I'm left-handed. (I'm fine - and also in October, my shoulder had a seemingly miraculous recovery.)
• My husband and I decided to end our marriage.

So yeah, lots of things to Persevere through - which is why I was so relieved in August when God spoke next year's word to me before I had even had the chance to ask for it: Quiet. I ended up choosing two verses this year: Genesis 37:5 and Proverbs 21:23. They were chosen for different reasons, but both speak to the concept of being careful of what you say, when you say it, and who you open up to - and they both fit so well as a follow-up to the major life lesson for me in 2023, which was all about setting and strengthening my personal boundaries, learning to honor myself and my needs.

With that straightened out, the next major thing is to look into 2024 and examine what I hope to learn and work on in my life, which ties into the concept that we are all the CEO of our own lives - or, if you will, the editor in chief. So I thought it would be fun to take the traditional "vision board" and change it up a little, meditating and praying on where I hope to see growth and accomplishment in the coming year. I went all out and let myself get creative, imagining magazine-worthy headlines for the accomplishments I hope to see in 2024 - and then I actually designed a gorgeous magazine cover image! Currently, it's waiting to be printed and framed, after which it will spend the year on the wall in my writing space to keep me inspired and driving toward making those headlines a reality.

If you're missing the writing updates, follow me on Instagram and check out my story highlights - but don't worry, writing updates will be back here next week! In the meantime, Happy New Year!