Trust ~ my Word of The Year [a Flying Sisters’ Blog Circle]

[For my 2nd post on this brand spankin’ new blog o’ mine, I have the unspeakable honor of taking part in a Blog Circle. There is an amazing, creative, inspiring group of ladies I’ve ‘met’ through an online course I took last September who’ve offered me this beautiful opportunity to participate, so I dove right in, without looking. *gasp! At the end of this post, you’ll find the link to the next fabulous blog in the Circle. Each of us are posting about the Word of The Year we’ve chosen. So, read on and take the time to enjoy them all. I can promise you’ll be blessed and uplifted beyond belief!]

For the longest time – really for as long as I can remember – the making of New Year’s Resolutions has been exciting for me.

Like Brand-New-School-Supplies exciting.

Like Fridge-Full-Of-Food-For-The-New-Diet exciting.

You know – like REALLY EXCITING!

And, with some of those Resolutions, I succeeded. I even kept the ‘Remember Everyone’s Birthdays & Anniversaries’ one for several YEARS. Woop, woop! But mostly, I failed  each of those Resolutions fell by the wayside. Some I felt bad about, some I let go of with no regret.

About 5 years ago, I decided to call the list I made on December 31st my ‘REVolutions’ instead of the standard ‘Resolutions’ – hoping that would light a bigger fire within me to really, really do it/them this time. Um. That didn’t make much difference in the Success Department.

3 years ago, one of my beautiful, talented, ridiculously cool family members declared a Word of the Year. And, because I secretly yearn to be like her when I grow up, I thought, ‘Hey! I can do that, too!’ Except, me being me and all, I couldn’t just choose one word! I chose four. Brevity has always been a goal of mine — NOT a skill I was born with.

In 2010, my word was chosen for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through several surgeries and 52 weeks of chemotherapy. That word was Survive. I’m proud to say that I did. And I continue to survive. That word, and that year, changed me in ways I am still discovering.

Last year, I did choose one word. And I seem to have forgotten it. Go figure. It’s probably on the floor of my closet, under some Christmas gifts that were intended for last year and never given. (If I were making a list of Resolutions, you can bet your bottom dollar that ‘Clean and Organize Closet’ would be very near the top!)

This year, thanks to a precious group of new friends, I’ve again chosen one word. One little, but supremely powerful and foundational, word.

Trust.

There were 4 other words that played Leap Frog in my heart and mind as I searched. But when the game was over, there was a winner.

Trust.

You see, when I look back over my life, it’s clear to me that trust was given, taken, broken, disregarded and not recovered from very early on.

Some of the details are fuzzy – some clear as a bell.

Some of the people involved remain in my life. Some have moved on. Some I have left behind.

And, today, I choose to declare that the details don’t matter. Sure, some of the losses, betrayals, and rejections deserve to be fully grieved. To be examined for purpose. To be set free. To be left in the past.

I can do the work of grieving. (And that is work, to be sure.) I can search for the lessons. I can loosen my grip. I can look to the future.

But here’s the thing – the one person who has a tendency to get in my way of living from a place of trust is…Me.

Shoot. That sucks to admit that. I mean, really. It’d be so nice to lay the blame at someone else’s feet. To find a scapegoat.

But I can’t.

Because my ultimate goal is to live a life of grace and peace. To be a calming presence in the lives of those I love. To be an encourager. To spread the light that’s burning to shine through me. To be confident and fearless.

And I can’t do that if I don’t trust.

Trust my God.

Trust myself.

Trust my heart.

Trust my head.

Trust my talents.

Trust my passions.

Trust my gut.

Trust my body.

Trust my voice.

Trust my instincts.

Trust the flow of life.

Trust the love around me.

Trust the unfolding of it all.

Trust that all is well.

So, there you have it. For me, trust is truly at the core of everything.

I think that’s why it won the game of Leap Frog.

And I’m jittery and excited and thrilled and anxious to focus on that word for the next 364 days. To do the work that I’m sure will be given to me as I allow my word to change me. To look back next year at this time and see the beautiful pathway my feet discovered along the way.

My fellow Flying Sister, Lisa Rivas, is bravely sharing her word in this sweet Circle, too. Please continue on around the Circle and savor all the bold, colorful, lovely offerings from these precious souls.

Oh, and Happy New Day!

**January 7, 2013 Breaking News! You can read about even more inspiring words that found homes in the hearts of some of The Most Beautiful Souls here !!  

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