Word of the Year for 2020- GRATITUDE

         "In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power
        to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has
        the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has
        the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can
        help us cope with hard times."
                                            -Robert Emmons

I love the start of a New Year! I love that it's full of new possibilities. While I no longer make a long list of New Year's
resolutions that I may forget and discard when I get busy, I do wholeheartedly believe in self reflection. I do believe in working on being the best me I can be and that self reflection can help me get there.

So instead of making New Year's resolutions, in 2014 I started the practice of having a WORD for the year. That word would help guide me in the directions I wanted to go and the personal and professional growth I wanted to make.

My word in 2014 was wholehearted- I wanted to live my life by pouring my whole heart into everything I did. No half baked efforts or promises, I wanted to be all-in!

In 2015 my word was renew and I wanted God to renew a right spirit in me. I wanted to look for the good in others.

In 2016 my word was light. Just as for me, Jesus is the light of the world, light to me replaces the darkness in any situation. I wanted to focus on bringing positive light to everything I did.

In 2017 my word was hope. Hope is the expectation of positive things to come. I focused on knowing, with God's grace, that any situation can be turned around and bring hope.

In 2018 my word was serenity. No matter what the situation looked like from the outside, I wanted, with prayer, to feel calm and peaceful knowing that even in great loss, all shall be well.

In 2019 my word was transition. With easy and hard changes my focus was to be like a butterfly learning to fly. Things can transition into something even better as I look hard to see the blessings in the change.

As 2020 approached I contemplated what my word for the year might be. After all, this was not just a New Year but a new decade. I didn't have to think long and hard because I've learned that whatever word God has in store for me, that word will find me.

And it did.

I was standing in the hall at SCC where I teach and a former student rushed up to me. She had been in my Conflict Management class last year and anguished over her verbally aggressive conflict management style. She knew it was destroying her relationship with her boyfriend. As we stood in the hall, she described all she had learned in class, how she had applied it to her life and heart, and that everything had changed because of what she learned. With tears streaming she showed me her engagement ring and we hugged right there. 

She said she was so grateful that I had believed she had the potential to turn her life around. She knew if she changed her attitude and looked for gratitude that even in the toughest times all would be okay. She said I probably heard "thanks" all the time, but she wanted me to know she was so thankful I had been her teacher. And then she left promising to see me soon.

As I stood there tears started to stream down my face.  I was so overwhelmed that she took the time to say thank you.
My heart has been hurting so much lately with Bert's illness and this student's gratitude and thank you washed over me like a healing balm.

At that moment I knew my word for 2020 would be gratitude. 

I can either focus on what is hard, or I can focus on so many things that give me joy.

I can focus on feeling so scared that Bert is so ill, or I can
focus on the laughter of my darling grandkids.

I can focus on a loss or I can choose to look back at more than 35 years of pure joy and love.

I can focus on how hard this is or practice being present in the moment and see the white sparking snow outside.

I can focus on how alone I feel or remember that God is with me, and with Bert, in every moment we have left together.

Often people assume gratitude is merely ignoring any difficulties they are facing and only focusing on the positive. However, for me, practicing gratitude gives me the
ability to accept whatever my current challenges are while
still finding joy throughout the struggle.

So today as I sit by the fire typing this journal entry, I am so grateful to God for His love and blessings. I am so grateful for the wonderful and caring people He has brought into my life
And as 2020 evolves, I am trusting in Him each step of the way. With His grace and His love, I'll be grateful for it all!

God bless!
Love, 
Linda