New Year-what's your word?

 There is a trend going that involves choosing a "word" to focus on for the year.  I didn't do it for awhile because it seemed silly to me, and because I love words.....all of them....and did not want to feel inhibited or restricted by just one.  Last year I asked God if He had a word for me.  He did.  The word was "mountain".  I knew when I received and accepted that word, that it meant He was telling me it was going to be a challenging year.  I wasn't wrong.  2022 was a mountain of a year.  There were really good parts that felt like mountaintop moments, and there were really hard parts that felt like climbing a mountain that was really steep and I was walking up backwards on slippery gravel....I look at the year and can appreciate the mountain of all of it.  I'm grateful that God partnered with me in the foreshadowing of it and the journey through it.  

Roger struggled with his job, then tore his achilles tendon and was virtually incapacitated for months, then changed jobs after 28 years with the same company.  Several of my children struggled with mental health issues that needed action and engagement in therapy.  Claire and Jonah moved out of town.  I experienced my first whole year without a dad.  Jeremiah moved out and went to school 2 hours away.....Isaac moved into adulthood.  I went back to work full time after 23 years working part-time.  Our cars fell apart.  Our water heater died.....both my mom's and my step mom's dogs died......I struggled with a battle to lose weight that I didn't win and I am middle age so its not about cosmetics anymore.  It's about health.  And the kicker....the kicker over the mountain is that I thought for 6 months I was "only 53" but at one point this fall I did the actual math and I'm 54.  54.  I missed a half a year, people.  My next birthday will be 55 and I didn't even realize it until November.  What the heck.  

Mountain.

Needless to say I wasn't very eager to ask God for a word for 2023.....I mean....do I really want to know all the hard things coming through some foreshadowing of the HOly Spirit?  Apparently I did last year.  This year.....not so much.  But I asked anyway.  I trust Him.  I think He and I have decided on my word for 2023.  You all don't need to care as much as I do.  It's really ok.  I'm mostly writing it out for my own accountability this year.  Ready for it?  Here it is.  

Aware.  

That's it.  Aware.  Awareness.  Being aware.  All things around aware.  

I'm listening to a book on audible called Aware by Dr. Dan Seigel and it just so happens I started it this weekend and I'm intrigued and invested.  I'm also aware of all that I want to embrace and hold and savor and experience in the space of now and not past or future.....because, as we have all come to realize....I will turn 55 this year and that is definitely on the hill if not over it.  

Aware leans toward wisdom and presence and acceptance.  It also pulls at challenge and accountability and knowing.....and I am ready for all of that in my 55th trip around the sun.  I choose to link arms with my Lord and Savior and be Aware....and journey on in whatever that looks like for the next 365 days.  

If you have a Word let me know what it is.  Let's do this together.