If you are a scrapper, then you know where this idea came from and if not, then I suggest you check out Ali Edward’s blog to get an idea of just how powerful this whole “choose a word for a whole year” thing can be.
Let me see if I can use some of Ali’s words + my own to give you an idea of how this all works…
The idea behind this “one little word” concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year. As Ali said… “A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.”
I have done this for the past 2 years now and I have to say that the key is to find something that has a personal meaning for you. Sometimes the word has started out as one thing for me and throughout the year it will take on a whole different meaning. My word for 2009 was consistency and last year it was simplify. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times over the past 2 years that those two simple – but so very powerful - words have popped into my head and conversations. It is kind of funny how even Josh has really gotten into this idea and not only has his own word but he will frequently check up on me to see how I am doing with mine throughout the year.
So for this new year, I have had several things rolling around in my head + heart (create, renew, refresh, nourish, endurance) but the one that keeps coming back to me is…
Story:
a narration of the events in the life of a person or the existence of a thing; the story of one’s life.
Don’t you just love that definition?
I was sort of hesitant to even choose this word simply due to the fact that it was Ali’s word last year and I did not want to feel like I was simply following in her 2010 footsteps. But over the past 3 weeks, the more that I got to thinking about my goals for 2011 and the things that I wanted to see happen over these next 365 days, the more that I kept thinking that this word would be perfect for me and my journey in 2011.
Most of you know that I enjoy the wonderful hobby of scrapbooking (15+ year love affair of mine) but even that has evolved for me over the years. I have come to learn that the real love relationship for me has been capturing life and telling my story. I have posted this on my blog before but for me it is really the combination of words + photos that brings it all together. Not don’t get me wrong… I love me some good patterned paper with matching ribbon and all those fun digital embellishments are all so very cute but after it is all said and done I would rather have albums full of photos + words than all the patterned paper in the world.
All that said… I recently went back through some of our family’s albums (since the baby’s were born) realizing that there are so many more stories that I want to tell (past + present). Some are big and some are small. Some are very detailed and some are just faint sweet spots in my mind that I want to be sure to record for my babies and their future. I am not upset that I have not “already” told them yet or worried that there are too many and I have forgotten some of the details. I just want to make it a priority this next year to get them recorded.
And after receiving a envelope full to the brim of “past generations” from my Daddy at Christmas, I am once again reminded of the painful reality of all those sweet stories that are simply “lost” and left to the imagination of future generations.
I have also been reading this book lately and it just reinforces what I have always known that the power of a family photo album leaves such a lasting impact on a child. I know first hand that this is true because my babies are just like me. They love to read but they will choose an album full of family photos where Daddy and Mommy “read” the picture stories to them over and over.
Ok… so can you tell that I am very excited about this journey for 2011? I am going to give myself a little assignment this year. I am going to aim to tell 1 story per week in 2011. That means 52 weeks = 52 stories. Hopefully I can tell a lot more than that (remember some will be short + sweet) but I hope to at least get 52 done and captured this next year.
If you are still reading this, thanks for sticking with me. I am sure that some of you are glazed over and noticed that there were no cute photos of the babies so you have clicked away by now. I will not even go into my other resolutions and goals for 2011. Guess that will be a different post for another day.
But for the time being, I am thinking about that one sweet little word and I cannot wait to begin. 
I have set aside my extra time today to check email so hopefully some of you will hear back from us before too long. But really I am dying to get back to a “regular” routine with all holiday decorations neatly stacked in the attic and my New Year’s resolutions firmly set and ready to go. Tell me that we are not the only people who get really excited about New Year’s resolutions!! 
