My Corner Online

 

2019 Word of the Year

Choose your own word of the year with help by my word list and see an index to my words in previous years.

3/24/19 I was uninspired for my 2019 theme word for quiet some time. Every other year I had my word chosen by the first of the year, but nothing spoke to me this year. I almost chose the word "pause" for this year because it felt like I should just pause and look back at all the previous years and reconsider them collectively and the journey taken. About a month ago, I was reading a book and the word "unencumbered" jumped off the page and I finally knew right away it was my word for 2019. Being busy with my "winter project," I was unable to create it digitally until today.

I love the process of art journaling my word. As an introvert, the need to think is great and the time spent thinking on my word and all the possibilities, thinking during quiet time, is an activity that fills my soul and brings me calmness. As I think, I merely put the words directly on my image and move them around, play with blending modes and opacity, and continue to play as I think until the next thought to include comes upon me. It is rather therapeutic. So I do not feel I need to explain my word because all of my thoughts are right there on my image to remind me throughout the rest of the year.

I have a desire to be more unencumbered in so many ways. For instance, we continue to declutter and let go of things in our home. This goes right along with my 2014 word of "less." To be encumbered by stuff, which is my responsibility to be a good steward of, is time consuming. To be free of stuff is to be free and the expansive space in my home just feels good. Another example is that I want to be unencumbered by my weight loss, to make the loss a lifestyle change, natural, and not encumbered by the daily of what to eat and what exercise to do. The weight of the burden to loose weight is worry in and of itself. Yet another example is our endeavor to become unencumbered by debt and free to do things that we enjoy with our money rather than all our funds going to debt.

I have a good habit of making daily goals which enables me to get things done, but on the other hand, I want to be less encumbered to self-imposted todo's and to be flexible with deadlines, also enabling me to be impulsive and to go with the flow of the day. There is strategy in the chess game of life to find the perfect balance to make moves without inhibition.

Go ahead, take time to read the graphic for other thoughts of ways to apply this theme word to life.

I love analogies to my garden and to God's great world and I consider how these things are encumbered. For instance, snow is encumbered by gravity. God creates the gravity. This is a great reminder to me that I am and always will be gladly tethered to Jesus. Jesus promises me that I can come to Him with my heavy-laden burdens that I desire to be unencumbered from, and that He will give me rest.

 

 

Copyright Cheryl Rutledge-Brennecke
Thank you for visiting.

Follow me: Substack | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | X | Pinterest | Facebook Group Rutledge | Facebook Group Boyer & Marechal | Etsy Store