My One Word for 2021

One of the most meaningful practices of my adult life has been adopting a “word of the year” from which I set my intentions and priorities. Grab a cup of comfort and join me for a virtual coffee date where I share the back-story behind discovering my “one word” for 2021, its two facets, and a breakdown of my specific goals. Let’s do it!

Our first coffee date of the new year is always my favorite. It’s the one where I share with you my “one word” and invite you to share yours.

It’s the one when temps are actually chilly enough in Florida to merit a warm cup of comfort.

It’s the one where we exhale where we’ve been, inhale where we are, and lift our eyes to where we’re headed.

Let’s do it, shall we?

(If you’re new in these parts, virtual coffee dates are my thang. In my humble opinion, it’s the next best thing to clinking mugs of yum in person! Readers have told me that these virtual coffee dates are a bright spot in their inbox, and so if you’d like to join my email list to stay in the loop on future coffee dates, click HERE.)

Coffee Talk Time

If we could sit down and have a cup of coffee, we’d bundle up for an outdoor meet-up in the courtyard behind “Joe’s Cup of Joe.” We’d sidle up next to the patio heater for added coziness. Thankfully, the sun is pulling out all the stops on this chilly day, warming our rosy cheeks.

As we’d cup our mugs, we’d begin with the usual casual chatter. We’d wonder if the owner’s name really is Joe or if they just liked the wordplay. We’d giggle as a greedy chipmunk drops a mountain of acorns after getting spooked by “Joe’s” cat. We’d marvel at this powerful patio heater and how much we want to take it home with us.

And then, after both taking a good gulp of our drinks, we’d dive into the good stuff. “Word of the Year” stuff. Your eyebrows would dance playfully, beckoning me to share what’s a’ brewin’ in my mind.

If we could sit down and have a cup of coffee today, I’d probably tell you something like this:

“Juniper loves when I tell her stories about the past. ‘Tell me a story about your childhood,’ she’ll say with a glimmer in her eye. Or she’ll request an old favorite: the one that involves some potty humor (because she’s 4.5) or the one where I mimic my dad dramatically falling over from the wiffle ball I just hit. She laughs until she gets the hiccups.

And after we put up our Christmas tree this November, I made the mistake of saying, ‘There is probably a story for every ornament on this Christmas tree.’

You bet your bottom dollar, Juniper held me to it. And inquired about the story for EVERY. SINGLE. ORNAMENT.“

You’d snort, attempting not to choke on your drink.

“When it came down to it, it was honestly hard to remember many ornament stories. It got me thinking about how the stories I remember are often linked to home movies and the photos from family albums.

I haven’t printed any photo albums of my digital photos…ever. And as 2020 was coming to an end, I started thinking about the fact that I’ve left this incredible photo legacy online–on my blog and on my Instagram–but don’t have any photo books for my girls to flip through.

And truthfully, what I share online is such a small portion of real life–of the stories I want my girls to remember and share around their own dinner table one day.

So, I had a wild thought:

What if I considered 2021 a sabbatical year for The Thinking Closet (a privilege I feel grateful to be able to do) and instead dedicated my work time to family photo projects. To getting more photos on our walls. To getting photos into books. To begin the practice of looking through them as a family and telling the stories connected to them.

What if 2021 was my year to REMEMBER…?”

“Oooo. Is that it? Is REMEMBER your word of the year?” you’d ask with the enthusiasm that only a dear friend could genuinely muster.

“Yes. And a very unlikely word for an Enneagram 3 ‘performer’ personality type like myself with a bent to be future-thinking. You know me…I’m always wondering, ‘What project is next? What achievement is on the horizon?’

Making this year a year to pause and look back will be challenging–but it’s a challenge I actually feel excited about. And finally ready to tackle.”

I’d pause to take a sip and see what you think about all that, knowing you’re a safe person with which to process wild ideas. You’re a marvelous listening ear and never make me feel crazy or like any challenge is too great. You’d share the parts of my story that resonate with your own story. And with that boost of encouragement, I’d feel ready to share more:

“And there’s a second part to the word, REMEMBER….

If I can REMEMBER WHO I am–God’s beloved daughter with whom He is well pleased–and not the sum of my fading achievements–then fear of failure and the pressure to be productive can’t take root in my heart.

Last year, my word was ENOUGH, and so I feel like REMEMBER is just me rounding the mountain on a lifelong journey of remembering that I am enough in Christ–fully known and fully loved as I am.

Actually, when I was telling Mark about my one word, he reminded me of the tear-jerker of a scene from The Lion King, when the ghost of Mufasa visits Simba and says in that amazing voice (shout out to James Earl Jones!)…

‘Remember who you are….'”

You know exactly the scene I’m talking about, and you pull it up on your phone so we can watch it together because…nostalgia:

MUFASA: “Simba, you have forgotten me.”

SIMBA: “No. How could I?”

MUFASA: “You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.”

SIMBA: “How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be.”

MUFASA: “Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true King. Remember who you are.”

We’d both confess how that scene makes us makes us emotional and gives us the chills every. single. time. Then, I’d go on to say,

“Just like Simba had forgotten who he truly was, I am so quick to forget who I am and what God thinks of me. I am so quick to let my work and accomplishments become the things that give me worth.

But like Simba, I have an identity that has the power to change everything. I’m a beloved daughter of the King. There’s really nothing I can do or not do to make God love me less. I know this in my head, but I don’t always know it in my heart. And that’s why I want to spend my days this year REMEMBERING WHO I AM and WHOSE I AM.

Don’t get me wrong, a completed stack of family yearbooks in my hands at the end of 2021 would be amazing. And I want to shoot for that!

But even more amazing to me would be to end the year more dependent on God, more aware of how He’s shaping me, and ever assured of my identity as His beloved child in whom He is well pleased. That’d be a much bigger win to me than a lot of goals crushed, but a striving, weary soul looking for new goals to give me worth.

It’s not that accomplishing goals are bad, but when my goals are led by God and the accomplishment comes not from a striving heart but a heart satisfied by Him alone, I experience His peace, which surpasses all understanding. And He gets all the glory–not me. Which is how it should be.”

Holding your mug in the air, you’d say, “Here’s to a year to REMEMBER.” We’d clink our mugs and take a few sips, sitting in the silence for a spell.

Without words, I’d send you a head nod of thanks for your listening ear, open heart, and support. And then, I’d throw an eyebrow dance your way, inviting you to share what’s a’ brewin’ in your mind….

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NEXT STEPS

Here are some of my personal goals for living out the two facets of REMEMBER this year:

I. DAILY & WEEKLY PRACTICES TO CONNECT WITH GOD

TO REMEMBER WHO I AM

If I remember who I am and whose I am… fear of failure and the pressure to be productive fade away.

• Start each day in the Word. I’ve been working through short 5-day and 7-day devotionals on the YouVersion Bible app along with 4 other friends since early January, and it has been a wonderful way to study God’s Word in community. There’s a “discussion” section at the end of each devotional where we can share what God is teaching us.
• Revisit my “Enough Already” Devotional Series this Lent, which focuses on our identity as beloveds of God. Enough time has passed that I’ve truly forgotten so much of what I wrote/recorded last year, and look forward to listening again with new ears. (There are audio files for each week’s devotional if you prefer to listen rather than read). Here’s where you can sign up to join me starting this Wednesday. It’s FREE and will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday for 7 weeks…during Lent or any time of year!
• “Remember the Sabbath… and keep it holy.” Sabbath has been one of the most meaningful practices for me and my family since 2014. I recently did an interview for our church’s children’s ministry blog on how we practice Sabbath with two little ones (and how we’ve adapted during a pandemic). Click HERE if you’re curious to check it out. And here’s my favorite sermon series from Bridgetown Church in Portland on Sabbath: “Rest for Your Soul.”
• Limiting my time on my phone. I love Instagram. I love the people I’ve connected with there. And how much creative inspiration I’ve gleaned from Instagram. But I don’t love how much of my time it was monopolizing by the end of last year and how I addicted I became to scrolling my Insta-feed. So, I’ve started some new practices for myself that have been very soul-filling.
  • 1) I’m only going on to Instagram with intention, to either post, check up on a friend, or respond to comments. Then, I’m logging off. The shift has actually been easier than I expected, and I’m honestly loving it. I feel like I’m in control of Instagram instead of the other way around.
  • 2) I’ve been putting my phone “to sleep” in the evenings before I do and plugging it in another room entirely. I’m now reading books to wind down before bed, which means I’ve been getting much more sleep and also enriching my mind with great reads. Win-win all around.
  • Recommended read on this subject: *“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” by John Mark Comer.

II. PHOTO PROJECTS

TO REMEMBER WHERE WE’VE BEEN

To remember God’s goodness to us in seasons of plenty and hard seasons, too.

I’ve started off the year with some “quick wins” before I diving into the family yearbooks and digital photo organization. So far, I’ve made a family photo calendar (Walgreens for the win!), sent out New Year’s cards, and am currently working on a massive photo gallery wall in our living room.

After this… I’ll be diving into the *“Backup Bootcamp” (affiliate link) and “Family Yearbooks” courses I purchased from Miss Freddy.

Have you heard of Miss Freddy? She’s a Professional Photo Organizer, and I was introduced to her by a Thinking Closet kindred. I love her style and how she walks you through her process step-by-step (with videos and a Facebook Group for support), and I’m so excited to dive into *her courses later this month. If you decide to take one of them, too, let me know, so we can cheer each other on.

Here are my photo goals for 2021:

• Backup and organize my digital photos and videos from 2016-2021 using “Backup Bootcamp.”
• Create 5 family yearbooks for 2016-2020.
• Complete the girls’ *Lucy Darling baby books.
• Create a photo book with projects and photos from Juniper’s first year of preschool.
• Print *Chatbooks of my Instagram posts from 2012.

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FREE 7-WEEK LENTEN DEVOTIONAL

As I mentioned above, I’m re-launching my “Enough Already” Devotional Series from 2020 for Lent this year. After all, it’s ALL about this idea of living out our identities as beloveds of God, loved and worthy of love as we are.

It’s a FREE series and will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday for 7 weeks, and you can start it anytime…not just at Lent.

So, if the conversation during our coffee date resonated with you, no matter where you find yourself in your faith journey, I hope you’ll consider joining us. Click HERE to sign up!

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Where to go next?

Curious to read posts I wrote on my past “one words”? Here are a few rabbit trails for your hopping pleasure:

• 2022: Faithful
• 2020: Enough
• 2019: Presence
• 2018: Rhythm
• 2017: Nourish
• 2016: Purpose, not Perfection
• 2015: Surrender
• 2014: Balance
• 2013: Leap

A year ago, I created a VIDEO Manifesto for my fellow “Never Enough-ians.” It’s only 31 seconds long, and I hope it will serve as an encouragement to you. Click HERE to watch it.

*Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site!