Some Things Are Just Weird

I’m in Houston this week. Looking out my 11th floor window, I see a fountain, the freeway and constant movement. In fact, Houston seems always to be in a state of movement. Even in this hotel, there’s activity everywhere—employees trying to keep guests happy, men and women attending business seminars. I feel totally out of place until someone hollers, “Hello Mrs. Ferguson.” That happens quite often. My husband befriends everyone he meets so they’re very curious when the wife comes to town. I feel as though they’re checking me out to see what kind of woman is married to the friendly, kind, inquisitive, helpful, godly guy they see each week. Is she as nice as he is or is she a demanding snob? Is she worthy--because he gives the young clerk advice on business courses and she actually grabs a pen and takes notes. He looks at pictures of the plumbing fixtures one of the young men has chosen for his new home. He talks to the valets about their foreign homes. They’re surprised when he's actually heard of their small cities, towns, villages, and that he can share trivia about their government. He even went to the hospital to visit when one of them had brain surgery.

This isn’t the blog post I’d intended. I wanted to tell you about my word—a word that jumped out at me and claimed me. I know writers who claim, choose, pray about or grab hold of a word for each New Year. I’ve never done that—never claimed, chosen, prayed for a word to guide or inspire me through a new year—but I’ve been pretty curious about how all that comes about. Well… now I know how it comes about. It just does.

My word leaped out at me when I was reading something. Everything around it fell away and it’s the only word I saw. It meant something to me. I recognized it. I knew deep down in my gut that it was MY word and something that I would experience over and over again during 2011. Sounds crazy. My word just came today—not all nice and neat at midnight of December 31, 2010 so I could officially start the New Year with it. And though my word just claimed me today, I can look back over the past few weeks and see that I’ve been experiencing it since the first of the year in a number of ways. Want to know what it is? Sure you do!

REDISCOVER

In 2011 I’m going to rediscover myself and my love for writing. I’m going to rediscover my love for God, for life, my art, my dreams, my goals, my poetry, my novels and their characters and my friends.

Evidently, I’m going to rediscover a lot more because when I look out this 11th floor window, in spite of the constant movement, all I can see is the good of my husband.

REDISCOVER.

Do you have a word that symbolizes what your year might bring? Or a word that offers encouragement? Share!