Share your Word for 2013
In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered.
Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word – this word or phrase would be something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime. This practice is connected to lectio divina, where we approach the sacred texts with the same request – “give me a word” we ask – something to nourish me, challenge me, a word I can wrestle with and grow into. The word which chooses us has the potential to transform us.
- What is your word for the year ahead? A word which contains within it a seed of invitation to cross a new threshold in your life?
Share your word in the comments section by Tuesday, January 8th and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
A free 12-day online mini-retreat to help your word choose you. . .
This year I am offering all Abbey newsletter subscribers a gift: a free 12-day online mini-retreat with a suggested practice for each day to help your word choose you and to deepen into your word once it has found you.
Sign up here and you can start your mini-retreat today. Once you subscribe you will receive a confirmation email with access to the mini-retreat content (and you are free to unsubscribe at any time). If you are already a subscriber, the invitation will be in this week’s email newsletter.
Win a Prize – Random Drawing Giveaway on January 7th!
Some wonderful friends of the Abbey have offered fabulous prizes to be included in this drawing held from all of the names who participate:
- from Christine Valters Paintner of Abbey of the Arts: a space in the online Lenten retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
- from Kayce Stevens Hughlett of Diamonds in the Soul: a signed copy of her book As I Lay Pondering: Daily Invitations to Live a Transformed Life
- from Dana Reynolds at Sacred Life Arts: a space in her online class The Book of Wonderment and a signed copy of her brand new novel Ink and Honey
- from Ronna Detrick: a space in her online class Soulstice: Develop a Meaningful Spiritual Practice
- from Roy DeLeon of Now Praying: a signed copy of his book Praying with the Body and personalized body prayer for your favorite Psalm
- from Tess Giles of Pilgrim’s Moon: a print of the beautiful banner art by Rima Staines
- from Velma Frye: a copy of her CD “Seven Sacred Pauses” and “Take Heart”
- from Richard Bruxvoort Colligan: a copy of each of his Psalm CDs “Sharing the Road” and “Shout for Joy”
- from Trish Bruxvoort Colligan of River’s Voice: a copy of her CDs “Breath” and “Unfolding”
- from Mary Sharratt: a copy of her novel Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard of Bingen
- from Waverly Fitzgerald of Living in Season: a copy of her French Republican Calendar for 2013 and a copy of her New Year Dreams E-book
- from Betsy McCall of the Art Monastery: an original art print
- from Paula Huston: a copy of her latest book Season of Mystery: 10 Spiritual Practies for Embracing a Happier Second Half of Life
Pretty wonderful, isn’t it? Make sure to check out the links to their websites for all kinds of goodness and thank them for supporting the Abbey!
So please share your word (and a sentence about what it means for you) with us below. Subscribe to the Abbey newsletter for your free gift. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 7th I will announce the prize winners!
844 Responses
My word is AWARE. Too many times I get caught up in the busy-ness of life, beauty, joy, and pain pass by me without my notice. I need to be more aware to experience love, joy, beauty as well as the woundedness and pain of others. I need to be more aware to experience Christ and to be Christ to others.
It seems that the words are swirling around within me and different ones have come forward during the past week. Two seem to be repeatedly coming to my attention – balance and focus. At first I was struggling with focus since I couldn’t seem to “focus” on one word, but driving home from church this morning it became clear to me that it’s okay to have 2 words and that “balance” is important in my life right now. Focusing too much on one area of my life cause me to be out of balance. But lack of focus also causes me to be out of balance. Therefore, I am content with the words that have chosen me for this year: FOCUS and BALANCE. I am open to discover where I will be next year at this time.
Thank you so much for this retreat and for the concept of “Give Me A Word”. It has helped me focus on my priorities. :-)
Happy and holy New Year!
The word which seems to have chosen me is ‘selve.” I take it from Hopkins’s poetry and the notion of “this-ness” which Duns Scotus posited regarding the individual-ness of each thing even though they are all of the same nature or kind. I am to bring my true self into being again and again, the self which God sees as true, for He sees all and I do not. I have no definite experience to report as to how this word came. It just made my heart sing, so I knew it must be the right word for me for this time.
“Resilient” is my word. It came to me in a conversation this week with a deeply spiritual person. It is resilient in the sense of being whole – of standing my ground – no matter what happens. I will be true to myself and refuse to be silenced in the face of forces and circumstances that seek to diminish the gifts given to me. I have crossed a threshold, and am listening for “a new voice/which you slowly/recognized as your own,” in the words of Mary Oliver (“The Journey”).
My word for the year is Embrace. It will likely take the entire year to know more fully what this word is really about but I am starting with a prayer each morning that I embrace the day.
I was trying to hear an action word… a movement forward, or a change, something to follow. But the word that has resonated is “dwell,” which as I ponder on it, does require action and gives me something to follow. So many songs and phrases flow through my mind as I ponder this word. I am excited to see where this leads me. “Spirit of God, dwell thou within my heart…”
On the way home from an Epiphany party this evening, my husband and I were talking about our friend’s 18-month-old. He’s a curious little fellow; you can just see his mind thinking, “What if I do this?” I was reminded of Beverly Clearly’s Ramona Quimby who once squeezed out an entire tube of toothpaste, just to see what would happen. Suddenly, I had my word: “Marvel.” It is a surprising word, as I am in the midst of grief, and yet it is right: I had set up for myself all these parameters for wondering at the world, which have suddenly found themselves hopelessly interrupted. And yet, I want to squirt all the toothpaste out just to see what happens; I want to take a walk in the snow; I want to quietly observe my dog when he thinks I’m not watching; I want to see the world in new ways, not just for knowing with my mind, but also for feeling with my heart.
My 2013 word is TRUST!
As I have been walking thru my midlife crisis, or unfolding as I’m trying to call it, I am working hard to trust the process and know that my life is unfolding just as it is supposed to.
Thank you for this fun community exercise.
My word is ‘soar.’ I am feeling lead-footed and want to lighten up in a variety of ways. I was given the lovely Willow Tree statue, Soar, for Christmas. My sister picked it out for my husband to give to me in my Christmas stocking. We spent the week after Christmas on the Caribbean Island of Vieques and worked through the word retreat. Soar came to us over and over again.
Community….not a word I would have chosen. It chose me. I was looking for renewal, simplicity, grace, something romantic of the sort, however, I was striving too hard to get just the right word. It came to me on day 5, pay attention to your dreams. My dreams are traditionally not pleasant so when receiving the edict to pay attention to my dreams I laughed to myself. I went to bed remembering to pay attention to my dreams. I had an uncomfortable dream and awoke. The word ‘community’ came to me, separate from my dream, isolated, alone, a bit like me. I wondered if I would remember it in the morning. The first waking thought was the word community. As is typical for me I want to rush into its meaning…..’I must go find community’. Then I reminded myself that as the word found me, so community and its meaning will also find me this year. I will await with great anticipation.