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JennGM
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I really like Jodie's idea of using the word Faith.
I really want this year to be focused on pruning, organization, and establishment of good habits.
But I have noticed (it's only taken years) my spiritual director has continually advised on the themes of interior peace and joy.
As I've dwelt on that, I realize that all I need to accomplish have to come interiorly first, and I need that peace and joy to accomplish anything.
So, those are my words: Peace and Joy.
Yesterday he suggested a little invocation like: "Mary, my mother, please give me and everyone, peace and joy. Amen."
I wasn't even going to come to this thread because I was just clueless, and I'm not usually a resolution kind of gal until Lent. But I think the Holy Spirit came a'knocking yesterday for me.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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amyable
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| Posted: Jan 04 2012 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
WAIT
which could be accompanied by a great need for
PATIENCE |
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Noooooooo!
*throws self on floor*
No more waiting! No patience!
Well, I certainly have a great *need* for these things, obviously. I just didn't want to state it out loud and make it a theme of my year  "Hey God! Here's little ol' me making a public proclamation that I need more patience! Have at it!"
I was thinking more like FINALLY, SUCCESS, ABUNDANCE, NOW, and NEW HOUSE.
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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JennGM
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amyable wrote:
I was thinking more like FINALLY, SUCCESS, ABUNDANCE, NOW, and NEW HOUSE.
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I was thinking it for you, too, Amy! 
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 04 2012 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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amyable wrote:
I was thinking more like FINALLY, SUCCESS, ABUNDANCE, NOW, and NEW HOUSE.
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Yes. I can see that WAIT is the antithesis of what you were thinking! Well, I'm all for your words!
It sounds to me like you're full of HOPE. Which is the word I'm considering for the year. What I like about hope as I consider it, is that it lives very comfortably alongside any other word, any other present-moment happening, and focuses eyes and heart toward that abundance and joy (new house? ) that awaits. It doesn't undercut contentment, it simply gives thoughts a place to go...ever higher...toward His plan. It even lives very comfortably next to grief, which is where I still find myself some days.
So, I choose:
HOPE 
Join me if you like, Amy!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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cathhomeschool
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Theresa, you are too funny!
I love reading all the responses! Such great food for thought. I need to read the linked threads too. 
My 'word' now for a long time has been TRUSTFUL SURRENDER. I tell my friends that I don't think He is ever going to graduate me to something else. I'm a pretty slow learner!!  For me, 'trustful surrender' encompasses a continual surrender to His Will, His timing, His particular path to heaven for me. It means trying to live in the moment, not looking back or forward, not worrying, not wishing, just trusting. I read recently that when joy and pain are both opportunities to say 'yes' to God then they are more alike than they are different. That is how I hope to live, saying Yes in the moment. I love these verses that a dear friend showed me:
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee.
Trust Him when thy strength is small.
Trust Him when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful.
Trust Him, His dear will is best.
Trust Him, for the Heart of Jesus is thy surest place of rest.
Trust Him, then, in storm and sunshine.
All thy cares upon Him cast,
Till the term of life is over and thy trusting days are past.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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stellamaris
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cathhomeschool wrote:
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee.
Trust Him when thy strength is small.
Trust Him when to simply trust Him seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful.
Trust Him, His dear will is best.
Trust Him, for the Heart of Jesus is thy surest place of rest.
Trust Him, then, in storm and sunshine.
All thy cares upon Him cast,
Till the term of life is over and thy trusting days are past.
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Lovely, Janette! Thanks for sharing!
I really have chosen "Listen", but right at this present moment, I'm thinking I should have picked, "DON'T JUMP!!!"
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Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
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amyable
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Mackfam wrote:
So, I choose:
HOPE
Join me if you like, Amy!! |
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Jennifer your two posts to me are very interesting, in that for the past few weeks, the words of the Mass "We WAIT in joyful HOPE" have been sticking in my mind. Maybe I'm just meant to keep that in my heart this year.
Janette, your Trust Him verses are beautiful.
Best of luck to everyone in living out your words/phrases for 2012!
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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guitarnan
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My word is HOPE, too. I knew this during Advent, when, in spite of all the craziness, my focus was on hope for this new liturgical year. God has given me many reasons to hope that 2012 will be a year of peace and faith for my extended family, and He has given me some paths to take, with faltering baby steps, to help contribute to that peace and joy.
So, during this first week of 2012, when only my son has escaped the cold-turned-infection, the dance practice schedule is taking over every blank space on my calendar, and I have people coming over every weekend for the next three weeks (requiring cleaning, cooking, etc.), I am filled with HOPE.
And it feels nice.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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MaryM
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amyable wrote:
| Jennifer your two posts to me are very interesting, in that for the past few weeks, the words of the Mass "We WAIT in joyful HOPE" have been sticking in my mind. Maybe I'm just meant to keep that in my heart this year. |
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To me, trust is the embodiment of "waiting in joyful hope". Something I'm not too good at...
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Mary M. in Denver
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Kathryn
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I already posted that we need to work on KINDESS, however the word HOPE keeps popping up and wanted to give a "shout out" for it. We named baby # 4 Bayley Hope on Sept. 2010 after my step-dad passed away so quickly that year right after I found out we were expecting. Also, after we thought we wouldn't have any more babies and also after we thought she might be born with some birth defects. In all that we had HOPE. 15 months later, I say her name when I feel despair and it reminds me to *always* have HOPE in the Lord. So, for those that need it, it truly is in inspirational word.
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SuzanneG
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Y'all have me laughing and crying over here! Sheez!
Love the sports sayings, etc.... ...perfect for your house, angie! Make sure to put it in GIGANTIC LETTERS somewhere in the MAN CAVE!
Quote:
| I was thinking more like FINALLY, SUCCESS, ABUNDANCE, NOW, and NEW HOUSE. |
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And, of course....LOVE the virtual tantrum that you just threw!
And, Theresa....LISTEN UP!  If ANYONE can joyfully enjoy some good ol' fashioned BUTT-TIME...that would be YOU! Do you REALIZE how many miles you have MOVED YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY over the past few years???   I stopped LOOKING at what state you were living in because I couldn't keep up! If I were to create a word for you this year, it would be SIT! 
Thinking on my word....I'll be back.....
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Suzanne in ID
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lapazfarm
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SuzanneG wrote:
And, Theresa....LISTEN UP! If ANYONE can joyfully enjoy some good ol' fashioned BUTT-TIME...that would be YOU! Do you REALIZE how many miles you have MOVED YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY over the past few years??? I stopped LOOKING at what state you were living in because I couldn't keep up! If I were to create a word for you this year, it would be SIT!
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Hahaha!!! I am trying SOOOOO HAAAAARRRRDDD to stay in one place for a while! I suppose staying put just isn't in my nature, so you never know!(Luckily dh has the same gypsy soul as me.) At this point the plan is to stay here 1.5 more years and then all bets are off!
See, this is why I NEED to get up and get busy, to keep me from getting restless and wanting to move again too soon!
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Theresa
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LaPaz Home Learning
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MaryM
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SuzanneG wrote:
| If I were to create a word for you this year, it would be SIT! |
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Oh yes, I think that is the perfect word for Theresa this year!
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Mary M. in Denver
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Angie Mc wrote:
Our family motto for this year is "Go Big or Go Home!" |
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This is is one of my motto's for the year too, though I haven't heard it like that before, (am I revealing my nerdiness here  ). But I like it, much more bold than I had worded it.
We've had a few incidents happen recently that have shaken me very much and I've decided to really make the most of every day as best I can, doing what God would have me do, loving with my whole heart, aiming for heaven. Two more motto's that I'm going to need to go along with this, faith, and be not afraid.
Praying all our intentions will be blessed!
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lapazfarm
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I've figured it out! And when I did it hit me like a ton of bricks:
"I am. I can. I ought. I will."
May not be original, but right now it seems just perfect.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Servant2theKing
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These posts are all so inspiring!
I love the responses about HOPE! Somewhere (I have NO idea where, when or how), I read a piece by Pope Benedict in which he said that HOPE brings a bit of Heaven into the present! Truly food for contemplation as we strive for Hope in 2012!
I also recall reading that of the three Cardinal Virtues, LOVE will be the only one that remains in Heaven! Faith and Hope will have been completely fulfilled, while LOVE is made manifest in complete fullness in the Presence of God ~ for God IS LOVE!
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JuliaT
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My word for the year is "Abide." I read a chart awhile ago that compared a Super Mom to an Abiding Mom. I realized that I was, indeed, a Super Mom but I yearned to be an Abiding Mom.
Our fall and Christmas has been crazy busy. There were many weeks where we were only home one day during the week. There are many women who thrive on that kind of lifestyle but I am not one of them. I became very grumpy and exhausted as the result. I also depended more on processed food to feed my family. Our family became more splintered as the busyness increased.
So for 2012, I am intentionally making decisions that will enable us to stay home more and spend time together as a family. I am working towards being an Abiding Mom. This week is a perfect example of how I want our life to be. We haven't left the house since Sunday and life here has been soooo peaceful. We have had family nights of game-playing and movie-watching. We have all gone outside and played hockey together. Good meals have been made with the children learning how to cook these meals. This is how I want the rest of 2012 to be--a calm, peaceful year with a happy and grace-filled Mama.
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Julia
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MicheleQ
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CrunchyMom wrote:
So, in looking through past threads, I think I will steal Michelle's from two years ago
MicheleQ wrote:
| For Lent the last two years my "word" has been "Now" (from 2 Cor. 6:2 "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.") and I continue to use it as my 'motto' of sorts daily. More in the mind of being present to life now. Drinking in the sweetness of the moment (or chaos as the case may be ) of my family, my circumstances, my life. Taking the bad with the good and just being. But also savoring --I didn't do enough of that when I was a much younger mom. Mind you there are plenty of things I need to improve on and I am trying (I am sitting at the Y right now typing this --I am done my workout but hubby does a much longer one so I wait for him) but just being here now is my main focus. |
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I think that "being here now" would, for me, help our other goals fall into place. |
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It has certainly helped me and although I need to remind myself of it I do feel like I have gotten a lot of grace these past few years. Just yesterday at our Women of Grace Bible Study (which is really good btw) I was talking about the whole "Now" thing. I am seriously thinking about drawing/painting that scripture verse on a wall somewhere here (along with the introit from the 4th Sun. of Advent which I just love).
My word for this year is LOVE. In all things, in all circumstances in every difficulty I want to love. In every moment I want to ask "How can I LOVE in this situation?"
I won't deny, sometimes it's tough. But it is also very freeing. I had been struggling with a particular cross and I was trying to discern how exactly I could truly embrace it rather than just endure it or be resolved to it. In prayer our Lord showed me how and it was by love. It was such a light bulb moment and at the same time a relief to finally feel like I understood what I had to do. It has made the cross (for now) not just bearable but truly almost lightweight. What a grace. God is so good!
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1Cor. 13:7)
amyable wrote:
Jennifer your two posts to me are very interesting, in that for the past few weeks, the words of the Mass "We WAIT in joyful HOPE" have been sticking in my mind. Maybe I'm just meant to keep that in my heart this year. |
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I love that phrase from the embolism. I didn't realize until this morning that it was one of the changes and is now said as "we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ". A little different but the key word "hope" is still there. Mind you it isn't in the original Latin prayer but I do still like it a lot.
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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Topic: What's your word or motto for 2012?
