word Archives

My word for 2012 has arrived.

REACH

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

~Harriet Tubman

I wasn’t initially impressed by this word. It’s not as flowery off the tongue as other words. When you repeat it over and over, it begins to sound like my geriatric cat when she’s about to give me a mess to clean up.

But as I thought through the meanings of the word, I began to understand.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:14 (NLT)

A person can reach, as in reach for a dream. I’ve been stangent in this area for a couple months. Reach for me can mean to relight the fire that fuels my passions.

To reach a port, we must sail – sail, not tie at anchor – sail, not drift.

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

We also reach out for help. I’m so bad at this. Being a bit independent (okay, maybe more than a bit), I tend to try and fix situations on my own. This year I’ll focus on reaching toward God and accepting His hand rather than my usual, “I can do it myself!” plan.

Reach can refer to our own choices to reach out to those around us. In this way, reach is similar to compassion. I can offer mercy, grace and help to the people in my life.

Reaching out with forgiveness is a blessing for both participants.
Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.

~Muhammed Ali

This post wouldn’t be complete without one more quote.

“Reach for the sky!”

~Woody (Toy Story)

Searching for my word…

It’s a tradition I’ve never participated in. With the year coming to an end, many of my friends and acquaintances will be choosing a word to focus on during the 365 days of 2012. Granted, many of my friends are writers, so this may not be as common a tradition as it appears to me to be.

This year, I’ve decided to find my word. Some change in my life seems like a solid idea. Things haven’t exactly been going in the direction I’d like them to. This year has been filled with loss. Some loss of relationships, some realization of the fact that there never was a relationship to salvage, and much loss of security. I’ve struggled with fears and anxiety, disappointment and sorrow.

I’d like my word to be something like…HOPE. But I’m not convinced yet that this is the one.

2011 wasn’t all bad, and in the end, I still have an amazing husband and my children are healthy. So maybe GRATITUDE should be my word. I’m sitting here in my darkened living room, still able to write this post with the electricity out. There are so many things that I’m grateful for, and shouldn’t that be our focus every year?

I’ve watched helplessly as circumstances around me have taken seriously wrong turns with no way to stop the runaway train. Maybe SURRENDER should be my word…but maybe FIGHT would be better.

What about COMPASSION. There’s something this world is greatly lacking. I do hope I can be a person of compassion, FORGIVENESS, STRENGTH and MERCY. All wonderful words.

There are so many words to choose from. Each seems right in its own way. So I’ll wait a while and hope the right word makes itself known.

What’s your word for 2012?