Autumn always has me thinking about my word for the new year and so, as the seasons changed weeks ago, I began praying with different Saint quotes for possibilities of what my new word might be. I initially thought that I would have a hard time choosing between two words. Then, I decided to pray another 54 day rosary novena (my 3rd one this year and offered, in part, for this intention) and am surprised by what my word for the new year has turned out to be. It's neither of the words that I was deliberating over! Lest I get too far ahead of myself, though...
Then March came along and, with it, COVID came to Virginia. I was surprised by how calm I was in the face of the possibility of such unknown and uncertainty as the stress and anxiety levels of the people around me seemed to shoot through the roof (in fact, I very nearly went out to get a Corona beer as an effort to make light of it the weekend that COVID came to Virginia). Though I cried when I found out that the school year had come to an abrupt end (more for grief over the preschool class that I never got to say goodbye to than from the reality of losing my job), I soon realized that the year and a half of intense therapy I had following my breakdown several years ago prepared me very well for this unforeseen chapter. As I tried to figure out what God would have me do for a source of income while I waited for my school to reopen, my desire to find a Rhythm about these strange days truly helped me to keep my heart up.
So for 5 months, I accepted unemployment, made friends with the most adorable identical twin little boys ever (i.e. a regular babysitting job with a family from my school community), read books with a passion that I hadn't had since high school (Anne of Green Gables, you were the best company!) probably watched a few movies (some of them repetitively), and chose to delight myself in the slow, peaceful Rhythm of the ordinary. In the interest of a good night's rest, I made the conscious decision to not watch the news and relied primarily on my family and housemates for the most vital information. To be quite honest, most of quarantine felt like a much-needed retreat!
I became reemployed in August and the parents who made the courageous choice to send their little ones to school made me (and hopefully my coworkers) feel like superheroes; I quickly turned the sentiment around because I am fully aware that, without them, I wouldn't have a job!
Though the amount of daily cleaning and temperature checks that we are required to do was initially overwhelming and exhausting, I soon fell into a sweet Rhythm and realized that my biggest fear wasn't the possibility and increased risk of catching COVID; rather, it was the risk of becoming comfortable and growing lenient about my standards of cleanliness. I've told myself every day, "Don't become too comfortable". So far, our school has done incredibly well.
As the weeks went by and October arrived, there was a temporary change to my work schedule which meant that, if I was to have the longer early mornings that I enjoy, I had to be awake at 5am. I could not believe how excited I was in anticipation! I've known for forever that I'm a morning person but that I was energized by the thought of being awake at 5am was a wonder to me and I decided to keep it going. I will admit that 5am is very early, though, so I sleep in until 5:30. As of this writing, it's been not quite two months since I started and I have not hit the snooze button once! I now have ample time in the early mornings before work to read books, go for walks and even cook if need be and I am so grateful for the surprise of this newfound Rhythm.
And with that said, I have found that I like there to be some overlap between Words of the Year and so I'll be enlisting both Rhythm and my new word as we begin a new Liturgical year today. Which brings me to the present moment and my word for 2021:
Surprise
I wasn't certain about it at first but, through a lot of prayer, it's become quite clear both that this is my new word and how I should be praying with it as we enter a new Liturgical year and, soon, calendar year. Each week, I'll choose a different fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5) to pray with, for an increase of in my life. This year, I want to be surprised by peace, joy, love, gentleness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, kindness and self-control and I so look forward to discovering glimpses of God in the most unlikely places.
No matter what the new year holds, what pleasant or unpleasant surprises may lie in wait, I hope that these fruits will grow deep roots in my heart and better prepare me to accept gracefully whatever life throws in my direction.
Lord, find me grateful.
I'm no longer able to allow comments on individual posts but you are welcome to email me your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you! Keep your heart up!
SARAHFIDDL3R@GMAIL.COM
