Jo thanks for sharing your thoughtful reflection! For me the word of the year is water. In late winter, I stumbled upon some beautiful lichen in the cold, humid air. This spring i started my first social media adventure on Substack. It feels like I’m a tiny fish in a huge sea...So far, I’m loving the experimentation and discoveries.This summer, I tried watercolor for the first time, and I was blown away by how a tiny drop of water could change the colors so dramatically. This fall didn’t water the lawn and plantsl. Luckily, the dew helped me out!
Thank you, Jo, for suggesting this. I had no focus word until just a minute ago. My word is “patience.” Patience with people in my life, and patience with others of whom I know little or nothing at all. And patience with myself. It really stands out when you say that sometimes the daily goal is to rest and care for yourself. Your post carries a lot of weight in few words. I’m glad to hear that you’re involved with a congregation (?) that is more in tune with your own principles. That’s so important. I’d like to share a little prayer that I pray whenever I hear the siren of an emergency vehicle. It’s not always the same, but it’s something like,
Dear Father in heaven, I pray for the safety of our first responders, and for anyone who might be in danger. I pray that everyone will be alright, but if
it’s time for someone to depart this life, I pray that they are saved, and if not I pray that they will have a chance to repent and believe in their heart
and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. This I ask in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
I pray for someone that I probably don’t know, because the Spirit of God leads me, and I know that someday that siren will be headed for my house, and I hope that someone I don’t know will pray for me.
God bless you and your dear ones, and thank you again for saying so much to think about.
Enjoyed your reflection. I'm part of a prayer community that focuses on prayer and apostolic works. Every January, we kick off the new year with a "Virtue Party". We draw a virtue card which becomes our virtue for the year. We also share what our chosen apostolic focus for serving others is. We also take on a prayer partner and commit to praying for her and her apostolic focus for the year.
My virtue focus for 2024 is perseverance ... apropos for my age and stage in life.
Jo thanks for sharing your thoughtful reflection! For me the word of the year is water. In late winter, I stumbled upon some beautiful lichen in the cold, humid air. This spring i started my first social media adventure on Substack. It feels like I’m a tiny fish in a huge sea...So far, I’m loving the experimentation and discoveries.This summer, I tried watercolor for the first time, and I was blown away by how a tiny drop of water could change the colors so dramatically. This fall didn’t water the lawn and plantsl. Luckily, the dew helped me out!
This is a lovely reflection, and I love how you have defined grace. I’ve never thought of having a focus word, that’s a very good idea!
Thank you, Jo, for suggesting this. I had no focus word until just a minute ago. My word is “patience.” Patience with people in my life, and patience with others of whom I know little or nothing at all. And patience with myself. It really stands out when you say that sometimes the daily goal is to rest and care for yourself. Your post carries a lot of weight in few words. I’m glad to hear that you’re involved with a congregation (?) that is more in tune with your own principles. That’s so important. I’d like to share a little prayer that I pray whenever I hear the siren of an emergency vehicle. It’s not always the same, but it’s something like,
Dear Father in heaven, I pray for the safety of our first responders, and for anyone who might be in danger. I pray that everyone will be alright, but if
it’s time for someone to depart this life, I pray that they are saved, and if not I pray that they will have a chance to repent and believe in their heart
and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. This I ask in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
I pray for someone that I probably don’t know, because the Spirit of God leads me, and I know that someday that siren will be headed for my house, and I hope that someone I don’t know will pray for me.
God bless you and your dear ones, and thank you again for saying so much to think about.
Thanks for this great reminder to circle back to my word, which is expand, to see how it’s playing out for me.
Enjoyed your reflection. I'm part of a prayer community that focuses on prayer and apostolic works. Every January, we kick off the new year with a "Virtue Party". We draw a virtue card which becomes our virtue for the year. We also share what our chosen apostolic focus for serving others is. We also take on a prayer partner and commit to praying for her and her apostolic focus for the year.
My virtue focus for 2024 is perseverance ... apropos for my age and stage in life.
Oh, I like this idea! I will suggest it, my new church has formed a prayer group that is brainstorming new ideas for 2025.