And the Word of the Year is .......

Cherish

cher·ish/ˈCHeriSH/

Verb:

Protect and care for (someone) lovingly: "he cherished me in his heart".

Hold (something) dear.

Synonyms:

nurse - nourish - foster

The word of the year is a concept that my friend Cynthia Bee (aka Cindy) introduced to me in her blog Creative Chaos.  The idea is that rather than making resolutions that we know we will never keep past the first weeks of the new year, you choose a word that can help you focus your actions throughout the year.  It seems such a simple concept, but as I have thought about it the last few weeks I have realized that it can become a life-changing exercise.

So why did I choose "Cherish" as my focal point for 2012?  Because life can move fast and at times my life has been trying to set a new land-speed record.  I need to slow down and take time to smell the daisies or the roses or the tulips.  (Maybe I need to tip-toe through the tulips?)  So here are some of the things I plan to cherish during the coming year.  I know this list will be added to as the year progresses and some items will vary in their priority,  but like any goal you need to start.

1. My marriage and my husband - More and more I am reminded how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful partner in life and for eternity.  There is no one I would rather be with.  He can always bring a smile to my face and his support for me is limitless.  I want to insure that he knows how much I appreciate him and support him.

2. My children - 2011 really brought home the point that times in the Wixom house are changing.  This is good, but I don't want to look back and regret that I just let these days pass me by.

3. My family - Same reasons as above.

4. My friends - Just as I have been blessed with a wonderful family, I have also been blessed with amazing and supportive friends.  Life can so easily take us apart.  Through Facebook I have been able to reconnect with many friends I thought I had lost.  I want to continue to nourish those refound relationships.  And I want to take a time to let be there and not lose those friends I have now.

5. My community - I love where I live.  It is the best place in the world for our family.  It has given us so much and it is now time for me to focus some time and energy on giving back.  Whether it is volunteering in the schools, making myself knowledgeable of issues in the community, serving on activity committees; I know I can contribute to this place.

6. My church service - I have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ as my Savior.  He has sacrificed so much that my life can be better.  In return, He asks for so little in comparison.  Often when we are asked to give service, we refer to it as work.  Yes, it can be hard at times.  Yes, it can take away from other things we would like to be doing.  But right now I have been entrusted to serve a very choice group of young girls and provide them with experiences that will help them grow closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  In time this may change and the Lord will find some other way for me to serve, something else he will entrust in to my care,  but now it is twenty-three amazing and bright daughters of God.

7. Myself - I know that I will not have the energy or strength to give to anyone or anything else, if I do not  take care of myself.  Last year, I tried "to get in shape", and it was as you would expect such a goal to be.  I hope that a new perspective will help me gain a greater appreciation for myself.

So here is to 2012! No resolutions to break!  Nothing to feel guilty about not accomplishing!  If you were to pick a Word of the Year, what would it be?  Something to think about.

Aaargh, It's Fun To Be A Pirate

At Back-To-School Morning for our local elementary school, I was greeted with the anticipated volunteer sign-up sheets in my children's classrooms.  I have to admit that this was the part of the experience I was most looking forward to since this would be the first time in a long time that I had been in a position to volunteer.  Not being able to be involved in my children's classroom activities has been one of the things that I most regretted about working.

I had to determine how to best split my time between my two girls so they didn't feel neglected and what would provide me with the best opportunity to observe and impact their education.  For Emily, I volunteered to go to the classroom on Fridays and help with math.  My one experience doing this also led me to helping their class rehearse for the upcoming dance festival.  When Rick arrived home that night, he was met by Emily stating, "Dad, mom can really shake her hips."  Rick not missing a beat responded with, "I know, that's one of the reasons I like her."

For Lela I volunteered to help with two parties - Valentine's Day and Talk Like a Pirate Day.  Yes, this is a real day.   (Click here for more information)  Like most of you I was completely unaware of this movement until now and so signed on not know what to expect.  Lela's teacher made the day alot of fun.  The students were allowed to dress up and Mr. Tanner even came in full Captain Hook regalia.  The day was filled with piratish songs and the party in the afternoon.

I was asked to provide a game.  Lela helped me with this project and it was determined that the most pirate type game that would result in the least amount of bloodshed or chicanery was Liars' Dice.  In preparation, I totally descimated the stock of dice at our local Ace Hardware and WalMart.  Golden Hershey nuggets were used as the prize.  Other mothers brought treats - rice krispie treats complete with skull and crossbones stored in a treasure chest and Chips AHOY cookies.

It was a great afternoon to be with my girl and her friends.  Very touching was when one of Lela's classmates came up to me and told me how sorry she was our house had burned down.  Her grandparents are some of our neighbors and she is glad we are back by them.  How truly sweet this little girl is.  I'm going to make sure she gets an extra treat this Halloween.