Happy 2021; today I'm grateful that we were able to get back to WI for a few glorious days, and wake up to this incredible wintry beauty.
Turns out home really IS where the heart is,
and part of my heart will always be on the family farm.
We also spent a few warm-welcome days at my brother's lake house.
Yes, 2020 was a really challenging year, but it ended with happy hearts.
Well, maybe not for that fish that this bald Eagle enjoyed for dinner.
Ah, the circle of life. Sigh.
While away, I settled on my #oneword2021: goodness.
Times are tough, but we are tougher.
And I believe in the goodness of humankind,
in our willingness to give one another a hand,
to lift one another up, to be there so we don't fall,
and/or to pick us up and dust us off when we do.
Seeking goodness with intention will make it easier for it to find me.
Just yesterday, a barista in Nashville used his time and talent
to create this goodness for me. It's there; we just have to look for it.
Which one word will you focus on this year?
As we move into January, I'm thinking a lot about going back to school, about starting a new semester whether face to face or virtual, and imagining the excitement and joy that going B2S brings.
How will you kick off this semester?
I like the idea of digging in to some identity work.
What if you gave out blank name tags and asked your staff
to write down their names and where they grew up.
Wouldn't that be a fun way to share who we are,
where we came from, and what we grew up believing?
Might also make the perfect catalyst for questions like:
What ethnicity do you hail from?
What religious beliefs do you hold?
What was your parents' parenting style?
What was your socio-economic status?
Which values did your family hold most dear?
Did you attend public, private or homeschool?
What were your favorite traditions growing up?
Where was your home community: rural, urban, suburban?
What special talents or abilities were you born with/did you sharpen?
What do you wish you could have changed about your upbringing?
Any biases that you could benefit from unpacking and leaving behind?
What else might you want to know about one another as you
join me in looking for goodness and connecting by heart?
I was waiting for your #oneword post! :) My word for 2020 was "possibility" and who knew last January that 2020 held the possibility of a pandemic, school shutdown, stay-at-home order, so many cancelled events and that I would be thankful for so many little things like not having to pack school lunches, more walks, and more rest for all of our bodies. SO the word that's called me for 2021: connection. As defined by Brene Brown: the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship. I hope that I can contribute more connection in all of my relationships this year.
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