My word for the year and walk in the village

Since 2014, I’ve been choosing my word for the year to be my guide and companion teaching me to grow in some regard. As I’ve explained in my previous posts, I don’t look consciously for the word, it always emerges from somewhere deep inside.

This year it wasn’t different. On Christmas Eve I attended a mass and the priest concluded his sermon with an extract from Pope Francis’ Christmas reflection. I don’t like when such extracts are read during sermons, they often sound incomprehensible for ordinary me, but this time the extract ended with thoughts where joy was mentioned among others. When the mass was over, I saw the word “joy” in capitals with my mind’s eye, knowing that it is my word for 2018.

I often feel negative and too often mention negative rather than positive things without realising how lopsidedly it sounds and negatively influences those around me. I need and want my new word to teach me to feel and express joy, the joy that accompanies faith, love and hope and thus exists even if everything goes wrong.

JOY enriched the group of the four previous words of mine which were HUMOUR, PERSISTENCE, GRATITUDE and EMBRACE. They all stay with me, teach me and will be enriching my life as long as I will let them, and perhaps even longer.

Before I wrap up this post, I would like to share a few photos which I took in the village where I live a few days ago when some snow arrived. It didn’t last long but created nice scenes I was happy to capture.