I started thinking about a one word resolution for the year when I read Rachel Balducci’s recent post at Faith & Family Live, and then, hearing Lisa Hendey and Rachel talk more about it in this week’s Faith & Family Livecast, I found myself suddenly sure that this was something I needed to do.
I knew just the word.
PEACE.
It’s been something that’s been on my mind for quite a while. I can’t put my finger on when I had the realization that peace was more important to me than almost anything else, but it’s something that struck me like gradual lightening in 2009.
Happiness is overrated. It’s elusive. It’s like water in my hands, something I’m always grasping and unable to describe.
Peace, however, is not.
I find peace at Mass; I find peace on my couch in the evenings; I find peace in the mundane tasks of folding and washing and doing.
Peace has come to be an umbrella for me, protecting me from the onslaught of life. Maybe a better image is that of a special shield all around me. I know it’s strengthened by prayers, because right now, I’m experiencing it, even in the midst of trials unlike any I could have imagined.
The word of the year, for me, then, is PEACE. I might even go so far as to try to find some different plaques to hang up around the house and in my office. I’m going to carry it with me, write it at the top of my planner page, inscribe it in my mind. It’s going to become my approach to life, the lifeline I use when I reach up to God and ask Him to carry me through the trials. It will be the code word for whether I answer the phone or let it go to voice mail. In the evenings, when I’m tossing around the idea of working (despite the fact that Offline Evenings (#6 on this post) are supposed to be the rule), I’m going to remember my word, my goal, my promise to myself.
The photo, incidentally, was taken in February a few years back. I stepped outside and was overcome by the need to take a picture, capture the sunrise. Looking at it now, I still smile, feeling that cold morning, the day ahead of me, the wonder of the explosion of color.
What’s your word for the year?
Well written…my word is trust. I need to trust in God, in others, in myself. Like you, I have learned that trust is strengthened by prayer. Thank you for asking us about our word for the year.
Good for you!! I have a hard time making time for peace, but when I do, it’s definitely worth it.
Great post and great idea! My word is – Balance. I need balance in my life. I do not get enough rest. I work too much. I sleep too little. I need balance and I need to be sure God is number ONE.
Deciding between trust and surrender. I wanted to stick to one, but I really need both 🙂
You’ll laugh, but my word is peace, too. I just blogged about Our Lady of Peace, and how I keep thinking of her this week. (For me, though, I’m going on a month-by-month basis! Next month’s word may be entirely different.).
You’re in my thoughts and prayers my friend.
Um, there should be a comma after “prayers” and before “my” in the last sentence there. Sorry. Darn English teacher pride.
This is definitely food for thought. I may have a word day to day, month to month, but this is a great idea.
For now I think I will use trust too. Trusting God’s will.
You’re in my prayers.