Every January, it seems like everyone is buzzing about New Year’s resolutions. We hear about ambitious goals and “new year, new me” aspirations. Life changes, sometimes unexpectedly, and it is hard to plan for a season I am not in. When those resolutions fall through—as they often do—there is a sense of disappointment that is hard to shake. I also noticed that sometimes, in trying to keep up with other people’s goals or trends, I was losing sight of what mattered most to me. Instead of feeling inspired, I found myself overwhelmed.

That is why, back in 2018, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of setting resolutions, I began the practice of choosing a Word of the Year. This simple yet powerful shift has profoundly impacted my life. Each year, I take time to reflect, pray, and ask God for guidance on what word will serve as my anchor for the year ahead. And let me tell you, it’s been transformative in ways I never expected.

My Journey with a Word of the Year

Let me take you back to 2018, the year I first embraced this practice. I had a sense that God was doing something new in my life, but I was not quite sure what it was. As I prayed and reflected, the word truth stood out to me. So, in 2018, I embraced truth. My life verse is Hebrews 13:5, and I learned to accept the truth that God had not forsaken me. This promise is made to those who are patiently bearing affliction or persecution for Christ's sake, and may be applied to any faithful soul in affliction, temptation, or adversity of any kind. The truth was I needed to nurture my faith, trusting that, with time, it would grow even stronger. That year, I learned the value of patience and faith in God’s timing. That year taught me that truth is not always easy, but it’s necessary for the plans God has for us.

2020, as we all know, was a year like no other. My word of the year was authentic. Authentic people are high-character individuals who don't just "talk the talk," they also "walk the walk," which means they back up their positive, empowering words with actions that benefit themselves and others. Be true to yourself and do what you say you are going to do. I had to lean into God’s creativity and purpose even when it felt like the world had shut down. I kind of feel like I need a do-over word for 2020 :)

In 2021, after surviving the world basically shutting down, God gave me the word believe. It was a year of learning to believe in Him in ways I had not before. Funny how when you go back after the fact and re-read what you wrote, looking back and knowing what you endured, gives the word you chose a different vibe. "I believe I will find joy in the small moments and peace amongst the rush of life." 2021 was a very difficult year for me, and while I still have no idea why, I believe He knows and that is all that matters.

The following year, 2022, brought the word balance into my life. That was the year I had to lay down my pride and submit to God’s plan, especially regarding depending on others. It was a humbling season, but submitting allowed me to accept the things beyond my control and lean fully on God’s grace and that truly brought balance into my life.

Live with purpose! A life oriented around an authentic and passionate purpose is one that is much easier to keep in balance. For this reason, there is no perfect, one-size-fits-all balance plan I can strive for. The best life balance plan is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

Looking back, I am always amazed by how God answers the word of the year in ways I never could have imagined. Each year has brought challenges, joys, and lessons, and through it all, I have seen how God works through these words to shape and guide me.

Choosing a word for the year is about more than just setting an intention—it’s about aligning my heart with God’s will and trusting Him to lead me through whatever the year holds. Unlike traditional resolutions that often focus on external achievements, a word of the year invites me into a deeper, more personal journey of growth and faith. It serves as a compass, helping me to stay centered on what truly matters as life’s unpredictable twists and turns unfold.

The beauty of this practice is that it provides grace. I am not confined by rigid goals or expectations that may become burdensome when circumstances change. Instead, I have a guiding principle, rooted in my relationship with God, that can evolve with me as the year progresses. As seasons shift, my word will meet me where I am—whether in times of joy, challenge, waiting, or new beginnings.

So as I prepare for 2025, I am taking the time to pause and reflect, looking back at where God has brought me, and consider the lessons, joys, and struggles of the past year. I am allowing myself to dream about the year ahead, but am holding it loosely, trusting that God’s plans are higher than my own. I am praying earnestly, seeking His wisdom and direction, and let His Spirit guide me toward the word that will shape and challenge me in the coming season.

Remember, this word is not just a theme for the year—it is an invitation to grow closer to God, to lean on Him more fully, and to live with intentionality. When life feels uncertain or difficult, my word will serve as a reminder of God’s promises and His faithfulness. I want to embrace the journey with an open heart, knowing that whatever lies ahead, God will walk with me every step of the way.

I am praying this be the year I surrender my plans, trust in His timing, and allow Him to write my story in ways more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

There are many great words to choose from, but as I prayed and meditated on it, Jesus laid the word prepare (be prepared). I just keep being drawn to being prepared.

1 Peter 1:13
So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. 

If you choose a word for the year, I would love to hear about it.

 

I'm on Strike!

In the past, when I drove by a picket line, I always thought it was all about the money. It wasn't until I was that person out on the picket line that I realized it isn't always ONLY about the money. Sometimes, the employees/picketers are fighting for more. 

At Kaiser Permanente (KP), we are also fighting for our patients and members, for better staffing. If you have tried to get an appointment, had to go to urgent care and been turned away or gone to the emergency room, or worse yet, been in the hospital in the last few years and experienced the short staffing and frustration of the Great Resignation of 2021/2022 where more than 5 million healthcare workers left their jobs, you know what I am talking about. And for me, more important than money, is that I am literally fighting for my job as just days before our contract expired, I found out that KP does not want to re-sign an agreement that protected KP jobs from subcontracting and outsourcing, something we fought hard for in a previous contract. 

So, while yes we are fighting for across the board raises to cover the cost of living after record inflation, we are also fighting for more staffing because patient care is important to us, protection for the jobs that many of us have done for a very long time is vital, and retiree healthcare benefits are imperative. We are willing to negotiate, we just ask that Kaiser do the same. 

You may dislike Kaiser because you feel their premiums are too high, that they have provided inadequate care, or for various other reasons. I'm not minimizing your feelings at all, and I'm not trying to change your mind about that - I just want people to have an open mind when they see strikers walking the picket line and don't just assume it is because they want more money. As patients and employees, we are fighting for so much more. We are fighting for ourselves, but we are also fighting for the patients and members.

Bittersweet

 

Five Christmases ago, my sweet nephew, Travis, gave me this basket with chocolate, wine, and yarn (he knew me well). One month later, he tragically left this earth and is no longer with us. As many of you know, that was a devastatingly difficult time in the lives of those who loved him.

This basket has sat in my bedroom every day for the past 5 years. Every night when I go to bed, I see it, I think of Travis, and I contemplate what to make with it. Yet, for 5 years, I haven't been able to make myself crochet something with it. I am not sure why, but I just couldn't. Then, about a week ago, it came to me, a basket. I think he would love it.

Crocheting this basket was so healing for me. As I worked on it, I prayed for those who loved Travis, his parents, his siblings, his aunts and uncles, and even his friends. As life has continued to carry on, we have all had to blaze a path without him and move through life realizing the depths of depression and suicide and how it affects all those involved. Speaking from experience of losing several loved ones, the grief of losing a loved one to suicide is a unique type of grief.

Please know that you are loved and cared for by those around you.
If you are feeling suicidal, please call “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental health professionals with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Connection

Humanity was always created to be in intimate proximity to God. It's in that relationship that we know how to love one another. As the world will know that we are his disciples by our love for one another.

Social connection can be described as the experience of feeling close and connected to others. It involves feeling loved, cared for, and valued, and forms the basis of interpersonal relationships. Increasingly, social connection is understood as a core human need, and the desire to connect as a fundamental drive.

Connection with others is more important than one might think. Social connection can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher self-esteem and empathy, and actually improve our immune systems. By neglecting our need to connect, we may be putting our health at risk.

Human connection is a deep bond that's formed between people when they feel seen and valued. During an authentic human connection, people exchange positive energy with one another and build trust. Human connection makes us feel heard and understood and gives us a sense of belonging.

Our day-to-day lives are busy. We spend our days balancing between endless meetings, school activities, and family responsibilities. On top of that, we try to squeeze in exercise and running errands. This leaves us with no time to connect. In a world of more virtual interactions than physical, human connection is now more important than ever, especially the last few years.

Our fast-moving lives have wreaked havoc on our relationships. We don't feel nearly as connected to each other as people did a generation ago. These days we can close our electronic garage door and step into our house without even greeting our neighbors.

Yet we were created for relationship. In fact the first thing God said was, "It's not good for man to be alone." God said that humans were not made for isolation. We were made for connection. Why? We were created in the image of God. The Bible says God is love. And to love, you've got to have somebody to love. 

I cannot  believe this is the 5th year since I gave up New Year's resolutions and deciding to chose a word of the year. I enjoy the process of choosing a word, praying about it, asking for guidance, dreaming of what the New Year will bring, taking a quiz, etc.

In case you haven't figured it out, my word for 2023 is ... 

Let's work together to help people make a connection this year!

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

 

I quit doing New Year's Resolutions several years ago and instead do a word a year to live by. This year, my word is balance. I believe balance comes from within. This year, I need balance. I want balance to help me juggle personal time as well as work, with time for myself to recharge my batteries. Balance to help me prioritize and give space to what I need most right now and let the rest go. A balanced life isn’t a perfect or fragile one, but instead it gives us scope to manage the challenges of daily life and still give us space, time, and freedom for what matters. In navigating through the different seasons of life, I am learning why it is important to find balance.

This year, I am going to work on acknowledging and accepting that I cannot do everything all the time. I only have so many resources: time, energy, money, etc. While it is understandable to want to accomplish much and please a number of people, I am only one person and cannot always manage to do it all. So, I am going to stop, take a deep breath, and regroup. All I can do is all I can do and all I can do is enough! I need to let go of the need for perfection, and of solving all problems for all people. I cannot do all that needs to be done, all the time, and that’s OK.

In order to find balance, I must manage myself, not time. Is there really any such thing as “time management,” or do manage our activities? Everyone has the exact same amount of time – 24 hours in one day. Many days we wish we could just tack on a few more hours to finish a project, or to get more rest or to do other things we would like to be able to squeeze into our day. Managing myself reflects a sense of responsibility in what I do in a day, and in a lifetime. It is being proactive and realizing the power of choice and knowing what I do have control over.

I need to learn to add and subtract. Regarding activities: What pressuring task am I willing to give up, or subtract, in order to have or achieve something (add) more important in a different area? To do more of one thing, I must do less of others. I must be willing to cut some activities from my schedule – even if just temporarily – in order to accomplish higher priorities. When planning my week, I need to determine which less important tasks or projects can wait. I will learn to subtract these from my weekly “to-do” list – and feel the sense of being overwhelmed lessen automatically.

I need to learn to just say “No.” “Will you…?”“Can you…?” “I just need a small favor…” “We can always count on you.” “You’re so good at…” When I hear these messages, do I feel flattered, annoyed, or used? Sometimes I say yes to things because I feel pressure to give an immediate answer. However, I need to remember I have the right to take some time to think about what I can reasonably do before responding. Being able to say no is a critical piece in reducing stress and balancing my life. It will also give my yeses much more power!

To create balance, I will schedule time for myself. If I don’t take care of myself, who will? If I don’t take time and steps to preserve my health and well-being, then who will? It is wonderful to have other people in my life I can help, work with, be friends with and share activities with. However, I should be my own best friend first. I want my family and friends to have the best of me! It takes deliberate effort on my part to make that happen. I need to make it a priority to schedule the time and place for myself to bring what gives me comfort, health, joy or whatever I most need now. I need to be intentional in resting, in playing, in growing, taking

at least 10 minutes a day to do something I like. Scheduling time for myself is a must if I want the best of myself ready to tackle my busy schedule.

Live with purpose! A life oriented around an authentic and passionate purpose is one that is much easier to keep in balance. For this reason, there is no perfect, one-size-fits-all balance plan I can strive for. The best life balance plan is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

The quote, “Life is a journey, not a destination” has much value in terms of reminding us about the value of maintaining a balanced life. There is no “last and final time” to clean our homes, care for our children or families, maintain our own health or accomplish some goals. There will always be something we need to do, even after retirement, and this is a good thing! The pleasure is that we have a choice about how to live our lives, activities to be involved in and people to be in relationships with.

SERVING JURY DUTY DURING COVID-19

The health and safety of jurors is of utmost importance to the Judges and staff at the Marion County Circuit Court. They recognize that they must make it safe to serve as a juror, to protect individual jurors, and to help protect against the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Jury trials are being held with precautionary measures to limit the exposure of jurors to COVID-19.

This was my experience:

Being called for jury duty during “normal” times can be stressful enough (taking time off of work, wondering if you’re going to be selected, etc.). But what about during a global pandemic?

I got to the Marion County Courthouse about 7:30. As I passed through a metal detector, it went off because of my metal knees. After being “wanded,” I was sent to the jury corral. This was the first change I noted. Anybody who has been summoned to the courthouse for jury duty knows what the jury corral is, a room that typically would hold up to 200 people pre-Covid. This day, they had 42 people in it, and in another room down the hall that had been converted to a jury corral were another 25 possible jurors. When I arrived in that room, I was told to take a seat that had been marked for jurors (social distancing).

Around 9:30 a.m., the clerk started calling out about two dozen names. Would I be one of them? Did I want to be one of them?

Courts have adopted varying protocols in enforcing social distancing during “voir dire” — the process by which judges question prospective jurors to assemble a jury. They have you stand in line 6 feet apart and knowing who is in front of you...you must remember your place in line as they have already made a seating chart in that order. 

After being sworn in, the questioning began. First, the judge asked a few general questions. Next, the defense attorney asked his questions. This process went on for a long time, probably more than an hour. One question that seems so easy but I found hard to articulate was “What does beyond a reasonable doubt mean to you?” In that moment I wished I had my phone so I could google it. The defense attorney went on to ask other questions, hypotheticals, etc. Lastly, the state asked their questions. The DA did ask me the last question of this process that took 2 hours. We were then ushered back to our room, and the other group went down to the courtroom while we watched them on CCTV.

Finally, we were told that 14 names were going to be called...I found myself counting as the names were called....Again, “Would I be one of them? Did I want to be one of them?” I had counted to 11 and then my name was called...sigh. As the names were called, we were told to line up and were led to the courtroom. 

The days of packing jurors in jury boxes across the state, and sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a jury box are over, at least for now. Rather than sitting together in the jury box, only three jurors sat in the box while the remaining jurors were socially distanced, 3 to a bench, occupying the space usually reserved for the public. 

On the second day, during a break for technical difficulties, I left the jury room to use the restroom as the other was full and I had to go (apparently, this is a no-no). Well, when I tried to enter the way I came out, the doors were locked. Oh my, what do I do now? There was a courtroom and a hall between where I was and where I was supposed to be. I went down to the receptionist to see if she could call the clerk to let me in, but she was on the phone so I went back up and started knocking VERY LOUDLY. Somebody came out of another room and opened the door for me. Unfortunately, every other juror was back in the courtroom, everyone but me. Nothing like making an entrance, parading by the judge, the defense attorneys, the suspect, and the prosecution. Thankfully, the judge thought it was funny but from then on he counted the jurors, and we were told NOT to leave the jury area.

I learned so much during this process. I learned what “beyond a reasonable doubt" really means. I learned that there are three different levels of the burden of evidence and depend on what type of trial it is. I learned that jurors spend a lot of time in the jury room.

Again, because of COVID-19, the 14 jurors were divided between two jury rooms. You try and make conversation with total strangers, trying to find something in common to talk about, but the only thing you have in common is this case you are listening to, and you cannot discuss that until it is time for deliberation. For any of you that have done jury duty, you know what comes next. The time for deliberation to begin is when it really gets interesting. No two people see the story the same. Your opinions and your life experiences play into it. 

I am humbled to have done jury duty. After finally sitting on a jury, I realized just how important our civic duty is. That is why our country is the best county to live in. While the system may be flawed, it is the best system out there.

 

 

 

Why I Am Involved in the Prayer Shawl Ministry

Acts 2:42-47

We were not made to live in isolation in this world. We live in an interconnected global community. Relationships are important. When something difficult happens to someone else, it hurts us. Prayer shawls are a way to heal others while healing ourselves.

Praying for Others

When you make a prayer shawl you are intentionally infusing each stitch with hope, warmth, love, compassion and care. You emanate the hope that the person will be healed from pain. When the gift is received, that warmth is felt, the connection is recalled and healing takes place.

Your Own Healing

When we see pain, loss and tragedy in others, we feel it in ourselves. We feel sad about our own tragedies. We feel fear about possible pains. As we stitch together our connection to this other person through intentional prayer, the meditative action calms us. Our hearts open up through the work of our hands and we feel safe and loved again.

Make a Prayer Shawl

The healing of the shawl is partially about the prayer and partially about the tactile sensation of crafting. The ladies of Mid Valley Community Church meet once a month to craft our shawls, pray over completed shawls, life up those we have gifted shawls to, and encourage each other. I get so much more than I give in this ministry and am humbled to be a part of it. 

If you are interested in joining us, please contact me.