“In the New Year, never forget to thank your past years because they enabled you to reach today! Without the stairs of the past, you cannot arrive at the future!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
The past year was certainly one that posed many questions for me. As Zora Neal Hurston said, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” I have the feeling that this new year may be another year of questions. The days are slipping by way too quickly and I continue to search for ways that will keep my mind focused on what I want to accomplish this year. At this point a set of goals feels too restrictive.
I’m intrigued with the thought of choosing a word to guide your year. I read several different articles and blogs today about this topic and was I was surprised to learn this is not a new practice. Which worked out really well for me because I was able to find many lists of awesome and inspiring words along with several different methods I could use in order to select my word of the year. As I worked through the different methodologies and read the long alphabetical lists, four words grabbed my attention–aware, fear, learn, and self. Now, this short list creates another question. Is my word for 2019 one of these four words or is my guiding word the one word that encompasses all these words?
For now, I’m comfortable letting things ruminate. I’ll let my subconscious mind guide me to the best word for me and the year ahead.
In the meantime, it feels like a great time to share the following prayer.
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument
of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred,
let me sow charity;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
I am…
B…simply being…
~Peace~
B...simply being... 