Making a Calendar in My Everyday Journal

The good and bad thing about making an everyday journal out of a blank (dotted or grid) journal is that it is blank – the good is full of possibilities, no pressure with blank dated pages to make you feel guilty, or being overwhelmed by the 12 grids of calendar months staring blankly etc. The bad, or can be bad, is the blankness of the whole journal can feel overwhelming, bringing up questions like: What do I include? What do I include first, second, and so forth? I usually feel all of these to some degree when I start my everyday yearly journal.First, I want to say, there is no absolute right or wrong way to order and develop an everyday journal. The beauty of it is that it is totally adaptable to your lifestyle for that year and there is no pressure to do it the same way each year or how someone else does it.

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Listening for My Word of the Year

There are many ways to “receive” or “get” a word of the year as a focus. For me, a word is often revealed through one of two ways. Usually it is found through listening and then waiting, and watching for a word to be highlighted to me over the next few weeks or months. By listening I mean getting in a quiet space, praying, asking for a word to be a focus and lived out the next year. By just asking, I am prompted to pay attention, to seek, and then find.

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Looking Back and Looking Forward - 2017/2018

Even though this time of year in the Pacific Northwest brings cold rain, short days and long nights, there are things I love about the season. It is a time of looking back, celebrating holidays of gratitude, the gift of God’s presence, and relationships of friends and family. It is also a time of looking forward. One thing I love about this time of year is the finishing my yearly journal and breaking open a new one, pristine and full of possibility. The treasure hunt of my word of the year is underway and with it comes new creative ideas to explore.

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