And the Word of the Year is...

Brain cancer is...

...definitely influencing our choice for Word of the Year.

With Darrell’s diagnosis, we stumbled through 2016 learning as we went about the importance of openness.  By openness we don’t mean mere acceptance.  By openness, we hope to capture a wide-eyed expectation that we want to be ready for the world, its people, and its experiences.  We hope to capture an intentional seeking of what happens next and a state of readiness to learn and grow from it.

We intend to be open with ourselves, with others, with experience, and with the world.

Open with Ourselves

·         Open to mortality.

·         Open to struggles.

·         Open to who we are becoming through this journey. 

·         Open to sharing our experiences.

·         Open to our limitations and the necessity of seeking help.

·         Open to experiencing and understanding a larger range and depth of emotions.

·         Open to tears.

·         Open to laughter.

Open to People

·         Open to other views and perspectives.

·         Open to rekindled relationships.

·         Open to friendships and family ties.

·         Open to connections we find with new acquaintances.

·         Open to caring and compassion.

·         Open to love and to be loved. 

·         Open hearts:  Open to other people’s experiences and greater understanding of each other’s journeys.

·         Open to being a part of the human experience.

Open to Experience

·         Open to the loss of control.

·         Open to new adventures.

·         Open to the future and whatever it holds.

The World

·         Open to new ideas and plans.

·         Open to nature and to the beauty of the world. 

·         Open to our place among interconnected ecosystems and their inhabitants.

·         Open to the potential of every day to be, as Darrell says, “a great day.”

2017:  Bring it!

A Note on Openness and this Blog

A Bible verse (Psalm 90:12) says, “Teach us to number our days [teach us about the brevity of life], that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We number our days through this blog (334 days thus far).  Sometimes we consider not blogging.   We realize that everyone’s life is busy and full, and many days we have nothing noteworthy to report.  But capturing our days through this blog reminds us of the preciousness of each of our numbered days.  Thanks for your openness to our sharing, and thanks for sharing right back.  We have never faced the wave alone because of you.