For the last monthly update on this year’s word, I’m reflecting back on each of the previous posts. I started doing this with 2020’s And, and continued with Choose 2021 and Present 2022. This all-in-one-place review is a helpful way for me to connect the dots across months that were amazing and months that … weren’t. All of it is life – and that’s what I meant to explore, learn from, and ultimately celebrate this year.

First though, one of my favorite parts of these monthly posts – a current look at me and Lucy. This is us on Christmas Eve.

January 31 – Inspired by Katherine May’s Wintering, Bonnie Smith Whitehouse’s Seasons of Wonder, and a new journal, I embarked on a year to “acknowledge, notice, learn from, and ultimately celebrate the seasons within and around me.”

February 28 – I embraced Liz Lamoreux’s listing practice to document each month with a series of -ing words. “It feels very much like beginnings more than endings, or maybe I’m just in a forward thinking place?” 

March 29 – “…a few unplanned things don’t necessarily define a season. and sometimes they do (and sometimes they shift things in big ways).” Reflecting on connections I made through Moms Demand Action and again, more beginnings than endings.

April 26 – “I wrote in my journal today that I feel like I’m on the cusp (I did underline those words!) of a new season, which is exciting (and scary?!)…” We celebrated resurrection in some new and welcome ways and survived Lucy’s first heat.

May 30 – I started reading Estelle Frankel’s The Wisdom of Not Knowing with my small group. “I wrote last month about feeling like I was on the cusp of something new … and I’m still there. still hoping this isn’t gonna be a whole season of not knowing. and doing my best to lean into all those infinite possibilities.” Also leaning in to longer days, coffee (iced and hot), and balancing Less and More.

June 27 – “I’ve lived through many seasons of Ordinary Time, and this is the first one in several years (maybe since 2018?) that actually feels “ordinary”. Summer! We survived Lucy’s spaying; I worked on my first quilt; and we really settled into summer.

July 25 – Wrapping up Estelle Frankel’s The Wisdom of Not Knowing with my small group. “The last few chapters have had another meaningful message for me – about letting go enough (and paying attention enough!) to be surprised … even delighted?! by what’s unfolding in the present.” Full on summer! a slower pace, iced coffee, and enjoying fresh produce from Marc’s garden.

August 30 – My small group started John O’Donohue’s Walking in Wonder and these words from the opening pages resonated “Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.” This month was back to school for the boys, along with baseball, lacrosse, traffic, and church activities. “I chose Season for this year to honor the rhythms of (my) life. It’s such a joy to see how those rhythms are unfolding, in both familiar and unfamiliar ways.”

September 26 – More of John O’Donohue’s inspiration! “I love the way he ties memory, earth, and seasons to our bodies and souls. and the idea that we are each – in our own bodies – experiencing those rhythms at the same time we are joining with the memories of the earth for millenia … it’s simply beautiful.” Baking with the boys on Mondays and full-on sports on the weekends.

October 31 – Still reading John O’Donohue’s Walking in Wonder and seeing connections with Diana Butler Bass’ words about gratitude and previous thoughts I’ve shared here. “The idea that we shape time, perhaps by our very thoughts and actions … I see a thread connecting this idea to choosing gratitude and to … the importance of choosing joy. Even if it’s only to keep the terrible things (and y’all, there are so many terrible things right now) from being everything, I know these choices – creative expectation, gratitude, and joy – matter.” Fall, decaf americanos, apples, and figuring out Instagram again after Hamas’ attack on Israel.

November 30 – “one more acknowledgment, noticing, lesson, and celebration of the season right now”. Transitioning from fall to winter and Thanksgiving to Advent. Looking forward to holidays without housetraining a puppy!

Last month I also promised to share what would be coming next. which is that after 17 years, I’m leaving this Word practice behind. 17 years!! when I chose my first word (2007 – Journey), I still had a very full-time job, Katie was in college, and Sara was a freshman in high school. Our family’s yellow lab, Chance, was still here with us. We lived in a different house. My parents had kind of recently moved to central Florida. I had just started to keep a journal and was thinking about starting a blog. It has been a Journey! and those next 16 words – grateful, experience, time, focus, shine, grace, choose, present, nourish, light, yes, hope, and, choose, present, and finally season … have been helpful and welcome fellow travelers. Not to say I might not hop back on the Word path again, but not next year.

I’ve so enjoyed following along with your journeys … and I’m grateful for your support and encouragement with mine. And of course I’ll still be here cheering y’all on!

Thank you again to Carolyn for hosting these monthly check-ins. and for the excuse to pause at least once a month for a photo of me and Lucy … and a bunch of outtakes that I know make everyone (except Lucy!) smile.

and in closing, I snapped this photo on our (rainy) mid-morning walk … hellebores blooming at Christmas feels weird, and yet, maybe a most-appropriate end for this Season year.