My word of the year this year (2024) is a phrase. It is new
beginning.
So, I said to myself last year, “I didn’t finish anything.” I was
referring to not completing my novel. But, as I soon learned, I finished a lot
more.
At the end of November, I was thinking about my word of the year
for 2024. I was disappointed in myself
for not having finished my novel and felt defeated. As I fussed at myself for
not finishing my book, I heard a voice (which sounded a lot like my voice 😊) say, “Next
year can be a new beginning.”
I felt relieved at this thought and questioned the voice about
this phrase. I heard, “You can get a fresh start next year and go from there.”
I felt hypocritical for seeking a fresh start when, in my mind, I had not
finished what I had started.
I wrestled with this for a few days. One point of contention was
that my word of the year had never come to me this early. I mean, it was even
earlier than last year’s word. (Perhaps I have done this word-of-the-year thing
long enough for my brain to start thinking about it earlier.) I was a bit
scared, to be honest.
The most significant point of contention was that I felt I had no
right to seek a new beginning when I had failed so miserably at finishing last
year. Again, this is in connection to not finishing my novel.
I truly felt like a hypocrite. I had not finished anything, I
told myself. This statement was framed around the fact that I did not finish my
novel.
I decided to post on one of the groups I am in on Facebook for
help. They were accommodating. The most powerful statement was (and I
paraphrase), “You finished much more than you realize. Maybe the word finish
was meant not for your novel but for other aspects of your life. If you think
about it, you will see you finished a lot.”
To some degree, I was relieved. I read several other comments,
and they all said the same thing.
I felt contentment. I never expected that. I thought I would
wrestle with this, but I didn’t. My spirit was settled. My word of the year for
2024 would be “New Beginning.” I was excited.
One unique thing happened while searching for this word: I never
thought about completing a novel. I was content to have a new beginning. At
this moment, I had a new beginning… I don’t think I have ever been this content
with a word before.
I looked up what “new beginning” meant. “A fresh start, or a chance to start again with a new purpose.” This
is what 2024 will be for me… a chance to start again with a new purpose.
Shahbaz Sharif said…
Lao Tzu reminded me…
My acronym for NEW BEGINNING is…
Finding a memory verse for this year was hard. I went through
several verses until I chose Isaiah 43:18-19. I like the Easy-to-Read version
of these verses.
Lamentations 3:21-23 (NET) was another excellent passage for me
to think about.
Ralph Blum had the closing reminder for me.
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