Happy New Year! I spent a big chunk of my weekend cooking, which I do enjoy, but not so much all the cleaning up afterward. I am doing the Whole 30 cleanse since I ate my whole year’s worth of sugar the last 2 weeks of December. I enjoyed every single morsel of Monster cookies, and homemade cinnamon rolls. Still, since I am prone to chronic pain, I need a re-set before it starts affecting my health. I cooked 4 meals this weekend and prepped food for the meals this week.

So 2021 is over and gone and we are all geared up for 2022. It’s been another hard year, thinking the pandemic was behind us but seeing it re-emerge with a vengeance. 2021 was a hard year for me as I started 2 different new jobs. The first one was early in the year and did not work out like I wanted and in early December I started in a completely different industry. I had worked about 17 years in the airline industry, but just switched to a banking job, something I am not sure about, but am hoping it will be a stepping stone to more fulfilling work.

I gotta say though, this new job is challenging me and I am having to fight the battle to not feel overwhelmed. My second week of training I had to drive to Scottsdale all week which gave me about an hour drive time with traffic to and from training. I used that time to listen to a teaching by Frank Viola, one of many favorite Bible teachers, on the subject of Transformation. I journaled: “Have surrendered over and over. I feel I can’t do this, don’t want to do it…..I feel so humbled, broken. God, I surrender. …Help me cooperate and yield to this transformation process. This brokenness, dying to self to live to you. For you to live through me. Be strong in my weakness.” My word for 2021 was Resilience. Frank Viola says “Resilience after pain and suffering separates those who make progress in the Kingdom of God and those who don’t.”

That brings me to my word for 2022, I think it is perseverance. I will need it to persevere in a work environment I am not comfortable in, and to pursue other avenues if I decide I don’t want to stay. I also want to venture out and do some victim advocacy work, I got trained for that and now it is time to put that into practice.

Last night, Brenda and I went over to our friend Melanie’s house who lead us in worship to bring in the new year. We shared what we wanted for 2022 and prayed for each other. It was a sweet time I am thankful for.

So what is your word for 2022, any ideas? Let me hear from you.