Each year I choose a word to guide my thoughts, prayers, and actions for that year. I pray for a word and look for signs around me before I settle on just the right one, and in 2019 I chose “Healing.” The primary reason was because I have a number of friends and family members for whom I wanted to pray and help more regularly. However, I had my selfish motives as well, since I had some minor issues I needed to address. It was time to follow my own advice about taking care of myself. I encourage you to take the time you need for self-care as well.
I am happy to say that I am doing well, and so are some of the people for whom I’ve been praying. However, healing is a long process for many people and sometimes the body is not ever made whole again. I’ve been reading a lot this year, and one author talked about how prayers for healing and deliverance from hardship are not as common in less developed countries. In those areas people tend to pray instead that God will be with them during their struggles, and I’ve tried to keep that in mind. I’m glad I’ve developed an awareness and habit of praying not only for healing but also for a sense of God’s presence and comfort during the hard times, and I plan to continue.
This past year was a challenge for me to keep up with teaching fitness classes while trying to recover from some surgeries of my own and traveling frequently to help out my parents, visit my daughter in Philadelphia (both before and after the birth of our second grandson in July), see my son in Boston, and go on a few small jaunts and one large vacation with my husband. I’m so grateful for my students who patiently stayed with me in spite of the interruptions. That’s the beauty of private online classes though, as they will attest — we work around each other’s crazy schedules.
With the new year almost here, I have finally settled on my word for 2020, but more on that in a separate post. For now, think about selecting a word to guide you this coming year and feel free to share it with me here or on my Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page. Also, sign up for email updates on my website if you haven’t already. You’ll only get an email when I add a post, which is not as often as it probably should be. Believe me, you won’t get too many!
Finally check out my sister site which I work on along with my daughter: Finite Foodie.