Word of the Year - 2018

So I’ve had some friends ask me what ONE word I would pick to describe what I envision for myself for 2018.  That was easy for me…CONTENTMENT.

My family went through so much change in 2017.  Our oldest son graduated from high school.  My husband took a new job in a new state and headed off there without us.  We searched for a house online and purchased it with a few stumbling blocks along the way, but the pieces came together in such a way that I felt it was meant to be.

I threw away half of what I owned, packed up my house with the help of my friends, and said goodbye to people I’ve known and treasured for most of my life.  I headed across the country with my 3 kids, 2 dogs, 3 turtles, 3 fish, and a whole lot of faith that the Lord would see us through to the other side of this incredible journey before us.  We were blessed to stay with friends along the way, and we arrived safely at our destination after 3 long days of driving!  We trusted the house would be everything we hoped it would be, and we were not disappointed!  In fact, we've sat together many nights, wondering how we ended up with this whole new life in a totally new place in such a wonderful home with our whole family together.  I had a lot of emotions about leaving behind so many people I loved in VA, but I learned one thing when we got here and were reunited as a family:  Home is wherever we are together.  I liked that phrase so much that I made a sign in my word processor, printed it, colored it with pencils, and framed it to hang on my wall.

Since we’ve been here, I’ve had an overwhelming sense of peace and…well…contentment.  There’s that word.  By the end of the year, we had finished the renovations and repairs to our old house and turned it over for rental.  Just before Christmas, we were again blessed to have a tenant move in!  And at Thanksgiving, we learned that Hayden’s accident from the year before when he was struck on his bicycle by a van was settled out of court, and he received his settlement from that in early December.  Everything came together, and all the loose ends were tied up.  That left us free to feel as content as we wished to be for the new year!  Hayden’s settled into his first job, our homeschooling has continued without a hitch, Steve has settled into his new job, and we’ve settled into our new home.  Contentment reigns! 

I’m looking forward to this new year!  I’ve begun reading through the bible again chronologically, studying with my best friend in the world and discussing it as we go.  We’ve found little ways to keep in touch, and I’m thankful for that…true friendship continues, unhindered by the lack of physical presence.  That’s a blessing, too.

Contentment.  That’s my word for 2018.  What’s yours?