To be truly honest, I think my word of 2019 have been joy. Think, being the key word because I honestly can’t recall. Was I truly full of joy last year? Did I find joy in every thing? Possibly, but I am also the queen of worst case scenario. However, I can truthfully answer that 2019 was a year of happiness and growth. I raised my daughter through her first year of life and kept her alive. Some people may think that’s harsh, but if you’re a parent…keeping tiny humans alive and well is truly a challenge of its own. But she in turn brought joy into my life. Every hard day was met with her smiling face and new milestone she hit. Sure we had some rough patches along the road, but we overcame them. It only made us stronger as parents.
Now, it made me think…should I have another word this year? Will I remember it in a year?
I thoughtfully decided yes because having a word of the year is like making your bed in the morning. One simple task can make the rest of your day productive, or in this case…your year productive and meaningful.
My promise to myself this year is to remember my word and why it is important to me. I picked grace.
I chose to not only give myself grace, but to others. I never really understood what it meant to give oneself grace, until my pastor lectured about it and simply described it as saying “loving yourself.” God gives us grace every day. If He is capable of loving us, then we can love ourselves, and in turn others.
I realized during my first year of motherhood that I was completely hard on myself to be the best mother possible for Isla. It started with struggling with breastfeeding then comparing my body to other women. I drove myself down a road of impossible. When I surrounded myself with a community of supportive mothers, I realized that finding comfort in perfection was working against me. Instead, I needed to find comfort within the small wins of every day. For example, did Isla poop today? Yes. Count that as a success!
Once I put that in perspective, I started to realize how much happier I was. How much healthier I became.
I’m deciding to put grace as an important aspect of my day but to also give it to others. We can’t be quick to judge others because we don’t know their story. Unless they don’t like champagne, then we’re gonna have to pray about that. Nevertheless, giving love to other people allows us to simply open ourselves to possibility. The possibility of meeting someone we didn’t know we needed even though their situation may not be ideal.
I think it will be especially important this year as Isla enters her another year life…especially into the terrible twos. I honestly think I’ll need more than grace, possibly the hand of God 24/7. But we’re also adding another member to our family. That means 2 under 2 against 1. I have my husband, but most days it will be me against 2 so I will need to focus on pouring grace on me and all over the house. Not to mention extra bottles of champs and wine readily available.
What say you? Do you have a word of the year? If you had one last year, did you succeed?
Whatever you decide, remember this: take one day at a time. The past is past and the future will unfold, but you will never get today back.
Here’s to you mama.
