Warrior – Word of the Year 2017

It’s that time again.  Time to talk about what my Word of the Year is!

This year, it is Warrior.  Might seem like a strange word to some, especially if they know how much of a non-fighter I am.  I steer away from confrontation every chance I get. So why would I pick a word like Warrior? Am I suddenly going to start fighting? Am I going to turn into a bully?  Will you see me screaming and yelling, throwing punches, trying to get my way?

No, not at all.  In fact, you may not even notice any difference at all.

Warrior for me this year is going to be about fighting for my family, my marriage, my health, my faith, my friends.  The world throws so much at us and it’s hard to fend off the bad and only allow in the good.  I’m going to prayerfully surround my loved ones.  I will stand tall in my fight, but honestly, it will be on my knees.  I am going to go to the One who will fight with me, who only wants the best for me, my family.  There is so much hurt and so much need in my circle of people that it pains me.  And in so many situations, there is nothing I can do….except pray.  Pray for healing, strength, peace and unity for my people.

Now, to some, this might seem like a no-brainer.  But, for me, it was like a lightbulb went off this past year and I look back and see just how neglectful I had been in that area.  Thankfully, I have a friend, my pastor’s wife, who has been very good in supporting this and offering her guidance.  Yes, I’ve prayed for my family, my friends in the past, but not like I’m taking this on now.  I feel the need so strongly to bow before my God and plead with Him, thank Him and honour Him with and for my people.

As far as my health goes, I know I need to make more time to take care of me.  I need to get out and run, go to the mountain or wake up earlier to have some time to work on me…. I need healthier choices for my family, I need better planned meals.  Nothing concrete, really, just the awareness that something has to give.  I’m not setting myself up for ‘Lose 25 lbs by the end of March’, that doesn’t work for me.  But making healthier choices across the board does.

When I had decided on my word, I messaged Catherine to see if she would do a watercolour for me with my word.  I saw some great ideas on Pinterest, of course.  But then I thought back over my previous ‘words’ and realized part of the process of making a word my own was the creative process of making the visual reminder.  So, I messaged a ‘never mind’ to Catherine and started thinking about what I could make.

I used a bunch of things from my stash in the studio, one of the benefits of hoarding craft supplies.  Leather from an old cushion, a stick leftover from a Christmas center piece, chip board letters, grasscloth samples and some bits and bobs from my old scrapbooking stash, rounded out with a bunch of paint that I always have on hand.  I didn’t want it too fluffy or too cute, it may not be quite as hardcore as I wanted but it’ll do as my yearly reminder.  Currently it’s hung in our living room, who knows where it could end up by the end of 2017!

Here’s a look back at my words from the past few years:

2016 was ‘Finding Joy’, read it HERE

2015 was ‘Settle’, read it HERE

2014 was ‘Create’, read it HERE

2013 was ‘Love’, read it HERE

I also have a few friends who wrote blog posts about their Word of the Year for 2017.  Christine of Wonkyeye Photography shares her thoughts on Mindfulness HERE and Colleen of Curtains are Open choose Courage which you can read about HERE.

I don’t set resolutions at the dawn of a new year. I pick a word and use it to assess and guide my choices….well, actually, I’m not sure how to even describe it.  The same would go for the selection process, either, I don’t know how to describe the selection, in fact, I would be inclined to say that the word sort of picks me.  So, yeah, I guess this may sound a little wacked….unless you do it, too, then it makes perfect sense!

So, tell me, do you have a Word of the Year for 2017? I’d love to hear all about it!

To be continued,

Lori