My Word for 2018

        Love. That was my word for 2017. I wanted to give reckless and unconditional love to everybody I met. And I do not think I accomplished that, not at the capacity I know I am capable of. If I am completely honest, I had to go back to my post from last year to remember what my word was. I just let go of the concept as the year went on. It wasn’t what I thought I needed to be working on, I guess. In retrospect, I wish I had been working at it, or had at least given it a little bit of thought. But no, I did not do that.
        As the year went on, my word became more of a phrase and took on a whole different purpose. I read a lot about pouring out all your love and joy to people and then finding your fulfillment in God. It was the idea of the pouring out to be filled up, the constant give and take, that became my “word” for last year. While I did do better at this than loving, it was still not amazing.
        This year my word is balance. Finding the balance between work, school, friends, church, personal health, and other hobbies. The past few months, working has been about 60% of my time. Everything is taken up with writing, making art, taking photos, selling things, and contacting customers. I love what I am doing, don’t get me wrong, but when finals week rolled around and I was knee deep in orders and never actually studied for my AP World      History final, that’s when this became a real problem. Not only will finding balance help me to find my sanity, it will help me to prioritize the things that matter. By that, I mean my faith, family and friends, and school. In giving more attention to faith, things like love, peace, and joy will surely come.
         I already know that balance is not an easy thing to find. I am starting this journey by creating a more consistent posting schedule that will be easier to follow. This will hopefully help me to not stress out writing last minute posts and having deadlines sneak up on me.
         I am also trying to do an online devotional every morning to get in time with the Lord on a daily basis. I like this better than a book because I can study whatever I am struggling with or want to learn more about. If you have any favorite devotionals or websites, please let me know!
        What is your word for this year? I would love to know! Have a wonderful day!