This month feels as though it has flown by. My goals didn't feel super significant, but they all felt good to accomplish (except week one . . . but that's another story).
I need to "clean up" my last week goal. My WORD photos and info are not where I'd like them to be, but I'm much, much closer now.
I thought that was particularly appropriate for Independence Day. It's amazing to understand and experience the freedom that God offers!
This one was just a "what's on my list that I've been meaning to deal with and haven't gotten around to but can easily tackle while at the lake" thing. (It's kind of hard to believe that I have an English degree with a sentence like that!)
I first encountered the One Word phenomenon during the 2014-15 school year. Our principal introduced the concept to the staff and challenged us to choose a word for the school year. I chose the word "listen" because I am not a very good listener . . . as many talkers are not. But I also went to the library to get the book by Jon Gordon. My blog entry for the book is here.
Instead of their idea of making a sign, I decided to make a quilt block. I initially thought I would make one each year until I retired, but I quit teaching full time at the end of the 2016-17 school year! I have continued to make a block each year, but have decided that this will be my final year. I will have twelve blocks and can work on making them into a quilt. I have continued to do this by the school year rather than the calendar year.
Since I have photos, notes, and ideas in at least five different places (file folder, on the blocks hanging in my studio, in my photos folder on laptop, in my Storyworth book pages 191-196, and in Google drive), I have been intending to gather them into one cohesive spot. So this is it! (I have spent far too long finding the bits and pieces of info to make this entry . . . and I may replace the photos that I copied from my Storyworth book with the clipping tool later.)
2014-15 Listen (black block letters on white)
2015-16 Joy (purple on yellow / white)
2016-17 Hope (green on grey)
2017-18 Trust (rainbow on white)
2018-19 Love (hot pink on white)
1 John 4:19
“We love because He first loved us.”
(As I noted in my StoryWorth entry, the Bible has LOTS of references to love. I picked this one to have as a focus.)
2019-20 Choose (red on newsprint)
Joshua 24:15
“But if serving the LORD seems
undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve, … But as for me and my household, we will serve
the LORD.”
2020-21 Humility (brown on beige)
Philippians 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others."
2021-22 Grace (navy on pink lace on blue on white with snowflakes)
2 Corinthians 12:9
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
2022-23 Shine (one inch yellow squares on black / grey with gold accents)
Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
2023-24 Selflessness
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
2024-25 Simplify (red stitching on pale yellow)
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Detail:
2025-26 Abide (purple grapes / berries on pale green)
<...I'm currently working on this one...>
John 15:4-5
"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'"
I'm posting this even though I need to clean it up a bit . . . but this has taken a lot of time! I'm keeping the file folder with my scraps of paper (for now) and I have the basic info on a Google spreadsheet. Clearly, starting and staying organized with projects is much easier than trying to pull pieces together from several sources!
Oh, and I initially planned to make all the blocks the same size (my notes in the file folder say 10" x 28" for a target size) but quickly fell away from that plan. My first five blocks ranged from 9 1/2" - 12 1/2" high and 25 1/2" - 29 1/2" wide. Last year's simplify is oversize so I can cut it down, but I will probably end up using some kind of sashing to get them all to a certain size so the quilt goes together more easily.
One more note - the Scriptures are to help me remember WHY that word is my focus. God's Word holds the wisdom and direction I need. The Bible verses are an anchor for me. I love the word "abide" and want to get that block made so that I can hang it in my office as a visual reminder.
