My word for 2010

So, this is the first year I've picked a word for the year. I had been considering it when I read this blog post by Melanie. She's super creative and I love reading her blog - go check it out. We met through St. Jude and her little nephew, Jake, who was a patient while Cole was just beginning treatment. We followed their family through their journey and learned so much along the way. They were all so inspiring to us and so very helpful at such a terrible time. Jake earned his angel wings in 2006 after a very long fight. I've continued to keep up with his family through the internet (isn't the internet great) and love that I can still know how they are doing when we no longer run into to them in the halls at the hospital.

ANYWAY - (St. Jude issues sidetrack me often) - I read the above mentioned blog post and loved the word Melanie picked, and followed a link she posted to here - which is Ali Edwards blog and I already read that daily, but this link took me right to the 2009 list of words. I skimmed through the list and a few words popped out (centered, content, determined, connect, deliberate) and I kept thinking about it and rolling words around in my head. I even made a little list during church last Sunday while listening to this. Our current series is called FIVE and it's amazing. Go to the website and check it out - you can listen to it online, watch live on Sunday mornings at 9:30, or heck, just go attend a service. Several words came back to me on that list - (content, connect).

Then I read this blog post, also by Melanie and got more inspired - I wanted to do this!! I could do this and be very DELIBERATE and do this each week. I could CONNECT to my word this way. But, still no final decision on my word!! Do go and check out that post - it's a super cool idea based on another idea she links up to. I can't wait to create this little book all about my word.

In the past, I've always been a 'everything happens for a reason' girl - always - don't know why, I just am. I just take it as it is. Sure, I think WHY? and WHY US? and WHY NOW? but in the end, I give in and just know it's ok. I don't just to the negative naturally - I assume the best in most people. I assume that the person that cuts me off in traffic is probably in a hurry for a good reason. I assume that the person I work with that's grumpy has a good reason. Now, don't get me wrong, I still get aggravated by that reason. I get frustrated in traffic plenty. And I get really aggravated when anyone fusses about things that just don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. As an example, you probably shouldn't whine about her much your husband drives you nuts to someone who has lost theirs or someone who is living away from theirs due to the military (that's a reminder for me). You also shouldn't fuss about how much your life stinks to someone who is sitting next to their kid in the hospital while very toxic chemo drugs run through his little vains. At times we all feel like we're in the worst place we could be and life stinks. But I promise you - someone's life stinks more. Someone is worse off than you. Someone is struggling with issues you can't even imagine right this very minute. I didn't want my child to have cancer, lose his hair, have nerve damage that may never be repaired, have 9 tattoos on his body so the radiation can be pinpointed and enter his body at the right spot, have scars on his body that he doesn't understand, have a hard time just walking a straight line, have difficulty in school for his entire life, have such a hard time doing things other kids can do easily like tie shoes or button buttons or write a sentence, or make certain sounds. I didn't want any of it. But, in the end, I know it all happened for a reason. I see some of those reasons now, I saw them then, actually. Not all of them - but some. I know that the reasons I've seen are probably just a little side note compared to the real reason in God's eyes. And I'm 100% okay with not knowing God's reason. I don't want to know. And that's okay.

There are people that tend to just think the worst no matter what. I like to say their cup is half empty. I say this often to people around me - because sometimes maybe they just need to be reminded to turn it around and think of it differently. Think of the situation in a different light. Pastor Chris spoke about this, too in a recent series LIVE LAUGH LOVE. He suggested we need to see people as victims. Maybe that person that cut you off on the interstate is on the way to the hospital because there's a family emergency. Maybe the person that's grumpy to you at work is frustrated that yet again, they are here at work barely making ends meet, struggling and just hanging on to a thread. You never know.

So, I try to think of myself now as a 'my cup is half full' kind of girl. Because really, if your cup is half empty, what's the difference in half full? There's NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL. It's the same thing. Half empty, to me, is negative, sad, depressing, useless. Half full, on the other hand, means, there's still something there. Maybe not as much as you started with - but certainly more than you thought you'd have if you really think about it. Half full means you still have some hope, you still see the good in people, you think it's okay!! Whatever IT is. It's okay. You can deal, because you are HALF FULL.

Can you see where I'm going here?

HALF FULL.

It's a good thing to be half full. Think about eating a great meal, it's the best, your favorite side dish that your mom makes just the way you like it, your favorite people sitting around the table. Now it's time for dessert. You feel like you may have room, since it's your favorite dessert. You are ONLY HALF FULL so you take a piece of that yummy chocolate pie. You eat it and you love it and you are content. (There's that other word again)

Think about half empty. Same great meal, same great twice baked potatoes (the ones that you can make taste the same even though you are following the same recipe). Same great company. It's good stuff. Do you ever stop to think in the middle of the meal "DANG, my stomach is half empty! This stinks!" Of course you don't. You don't think "Well, I have to eat this pie because my stomach is half empty."

In that case, you would really have to work at thinking the half empty way. Half full comes easily when it comes to something you enjoy. Half full can come easily to anyone!! You just have to try. Change your thought process. Change your perspective.

So my word is HALF FULL. Yes, it's too words, but I can hyphenate it and be okay I think. Anyway - I have a word and it's HALF-FULL. Since I already have this outlook in life, it may be cheating a bit to use this, but I feel like there are areas of my life that are half empty, or even three quarters empty. I'm striving to fill them to half full - or over flowing even. But if I start gearing my thinking the HALF FULL in everything, it really can only be a good thing!!

So - there you have it! HALF FULL is where its at for me. Now go check out those links, pick a word and then play along with Melanie's 52Q's. She's even providing a printable each week for those that aren't all that crafty but still want to play along. You can do it!! Don't be HALF EMPTY today!!