Sunday, January 03, 2016

What's This About a Word?

:-)  

A 'word for the year', that is.  This concept isn't foreign to me at all; it's just been a while since I did it -- chose a word and let it carry me along for the next 12 months.

Looking back, I see that I've really only taken one year off this word thing...but having ignored my 2014 word for most of that year, it feels like longer.

And I wasn't going to do it again this year, either; that is, until yesterday, when I listened to a recent podcast from Sandy of "Quilting for the Rest of Us", when the subject came up again.

Suddenly, a word came to me.  A 'WORD' for 2016 that would actually make sense.  A word that will be an essential part of this next 12 months, for a variety of reasons.

That word is celebrate!  Yes, the exclamation point is included!  :-)

This year, there'll be something to celebrate just about every month, I think...to whit:
  • January
    • I just had my first-ever acceptance into a major SAQA juried show! (My Corner of the World: Canada).
    • My sweet daughter -- and photographer extraordinaire -- Gina was born 35 years ago this month.  Whoa! A milestone...from which she (and I) can look back on a life well-lived...tragedies overcome, challenges met (like living without kitchen counters for weeks!), scholarships earned, employment successes noted, relationships forged (like her "second family" in Saskatchewan)...living out the tenets handed down from the grandfather she never knew: family, friends and faith...
    • I'll be sending off two more quilts to France for our 15 x 15 Guest Exhibit at Beaujolais later this year.
  • February
    • I was engaged 41 years ago this month;
    • My sweet DIL-to-be, Chereena, has a birthday --  turning...23?
  • March:
    • SAQA's annual Conference -- this year, in Philadelphia, PA (March 31 - April 3).  I'm not going, but you can bet those attending this year will be celebrating the studio art quilt the entire time!
    • My dear friend, JM in the UK, turns 64 this month.  We've been corresponding (pen-pals) for 54 years...and have met twice.  Our relationship ebbs and flows, and there have been gaps...but we continue to connect across the miles.
    • EASTER Sunday is March 27th.
  • April:
  • May:
    • I'm going to Stratford, Ontario...for the opening of  the SAQA exhibits "My Corner of the World: Canada" and "My Corner of the World: International" at the Stratford Perth Museum.  (May 21) I'll be sharing the rental car and B&B accommodations with my colleague, Jaynie Himsl of Saskatchewan.  In addition to the MCOTW opening, we'll be taking in "A Chorus Line" at the Stratford Festival Theatre, and socializing with SAQA colleagues from across Canada.
    • Victoria Day - Long weekend!
  • June:
    • A break in the action?  Nope!  My son Marty turns 31 on the 6th!
    • AND I hope to have finished a piece to commemorate my mother's centennary on the 8th.
  • July:
    • My nephew, George, turns 23 on the 7th?  5th?  Somewhere in there!
    • My afore-mentioned son, Marty, and his sweet Chereena, are being married on the 23rd.
    • The same date would mark my widowed mother's marriage to my step-father, Reg Daniel, July 23, 1957.  My sis and I were the cutest flower girls *ever*!
  • August:
    • Heritage Day long weekend -- and my artsy gal pals come up from Calgary to play in my Outdoor Studio;
    • The 9th marks my 41st wedding anniversary;
    • The 9th also marks the 10th anniversary of my DH's death, and the end of stitching on the Mark on the Body project.  After this date, the project is polished up and prepared for exhibiting.
  • September:
    • Labour Day - long weekend!
    • I turn 64,
  • October:
    • Thanksgiving!
  • November:
    • My sweet sis turns 63;
    • My DH would have been 64;
    • It's National Diabetes Month.
  • December:
    • The Incarnation of Jesus (aka 'Christmas')...
    • And Hanukkah celebrations...
    • And the celebration of another year well lived.

Something tells me it's gonna be a Great Year!  









5 comments:

els said...

How nice to look forward to all this celebrations. It will definitely be a very good year. CELEBRATE!

elle said...

It IS gonna be a great year! :)

Kathie Briggs said...

Ah,Margaret, what a wonderful word and a lovely and positive focus. Your list is so uplifting. Perhaps I need to find a word for myself.

Maggi said...

What a wonderful year you have to look forward to.

Jo Ferguson said...

You do have a lot to look forward too and I hope you find many more reasons to Celebrate! along the way.