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We often need to be refreshed
 Year of Focus: Week 32
Word of The Week: Refreshed
Verb; to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc. (often used reflexively).
Have you ever tried to solve a problem or find something you are missing.  You can search endlessly to no avail. Sometimes we need a moment to step away and be refreshed. Then when we return the answers appear easier. To step...

Wherever you go, there you are.
Year of Focus: Week 30
Word of the Week: Stay
Verb; to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.
In life, we are always talking about going somewhere, because going somewhere new always seems more alluring than staying where we are. Staying makes us face the hard work before us but is also how we grow and learn to utilize our resources.
Staying...

“Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.” ~Alice Walker 
Year of Focus: Week 30
Word of the Week: Restoration
a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
I remember one of our first houses. It was older and had a lot that needed restoration. Some things even looked old to my young eyes, like the rusty water stains...

“To move freely one must be deeply rooted.”
Year of Focus: Week 29
Word of Week: Rooted 
firmly implanted (often used in combination):a deep-rooted belief
To feel rooted in my life I want an anchor to the things that bring joy and purpose, a clear connection to my focus. This is not a way to deny the struggles of life, since we know they will still come. But instead, a declaration to myself...

The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.
Year of Focus: Week 28
Word of Week: Movement
the act, process, or result of moving
In the first half of 2024 during my life's journey for healthy living and weight loss. I have discovered things that have moved the needle, and others that have not externally, but have made a difference inside. Movement has always been a...

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” 
The Year Of Focus: Week 27
Word of the Week: Joy
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation:
I want to be rooted in joy, always discovering the good that still exists contrary to the nightly news. The type of joy that arrives...

“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? 
The Year Of Focus: Week 26
Word of the Week: Prayer
Prayer
            a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
There are days when prayer still feels difficult and I wonder, should I just practice when I feel this way, do it anyway? Like anything else...

“Release the past, capture the present and embrace the future.” ~Billy Cox 
The Year Of Focus: Week 25
Word of the Week: Release
to free from anything that restrains, fastens, etc
Life is full of things to release. Sometimes there are difficult things I hold onto for too long. Painful memories that still trigger emotions. Even clinging to a relationship that we should have let go in a season...

 Embrace the pace of your own journey
The Year Of Focus: Week 24
Word of the Week: Pace
a rate of activity, progress, growth, performance, etc.; tempo:
Since I began running in early 2010, I have learned so many lessons in pace. To run a long distance, you need to understand when to reserve your energy and when to push. No matter the distance, I have never been consistent, always running hard...

“Listen to the silence, it has so much to say.” ~ Rumi 
The Year Of Focus: Week 23
Word of the Week: Silence
absence of any sound or noise; stillness.  
I have always loved the sound of silence. Whether returning home after a busy day, or quietly stepping out from a noisy room, I relish the sound of silence. I remember my early appreciation of silence, years ago with young children, once...