The Practice of Choosing a Word

When I read Gabrielle Bossis' book He and I, I was delighted to realize that she had a practice similar to Word for the Liturgical Year. Often praying around transitions to a new year, "What's my keynote, Lord?" her practice entailed a word or phrase to guide her year. Not only did she have a similar practice, she also recognized it was valuable to document it.

I first integrated the practice of choosing a word into my life in 2010 after hearing teacher bloggers talk about the concept. By the time I picked up Gabrielle's book, I had been incorporating the practice for over a decade and realized the value it held in my overall process of becoming with all the learning, growth, and healing the practice had entailed.

Because He and I shares entries from 1936-1950, reading about Gabrielle's keynote helped me to see that the concept had deeper roots than a recent trend. I wonder at what point the Lord placed the idea on people's hearts to choose/receive words to accompany them as they prayed through the years of their lives.

My Words

Here is a list of my words, revealing a glimpse into my adult life, beginning with the end of my 20s:

• 2010: Simplicity

• 2011: Embrace

• 2012: Gratitude

• 2013: Nurture

• 2014: Salud (health in Spanish)

• 2015: Core

• 2016: Shine

• 2017: Filled

• 2018: Home

• 2019: Light

• 2020: Adventure

• 2021: Deep

• 2022: Play

• 2023: Father

• 2024: Wander

• 2025: Rooted

• 2026: Lijar (to sand in Spanish)

Your Words

If you already choose a word for the year, I invite you to spend some time reflecting:

• What are the words you have chosen throughout the years?

• How do they reflect a glimpse into your story?

• What are the threads woven across the years?

• How do they reveal the story of your growth and healing?

If you do not yet choose a word for the year, I invite you to consider beginning the practice and documenting it.

A Guide for the Process

Learn more about my guide, Word for the Liturgical Year, that provides support for choosing a word and praying with it through the liturgical seasons.

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