the 1st word

as sometimes happens, all the forces in the world come together at a certain time and a certain place to create a moment of inspiration. a moment of serendipity.

 

so it is today.  I am excited and inspired to do a full year challenge called

"one little word"

 

if you have friends you want to share this with, please do.  for me it will be better with many voices sharing the journey.

 

every year this time many of us pick a single word on which we will focus or time and attention to create a better year.  I am not alone in this and each year I pick a word but often by February 1st I have moved on to other things and my "word" is left to languish with my new year's resolutions.

 

this year as I was choosing my one little word I found myself in a dilemma...too many words. I was unable to narrow it to just one little word. 

 

I went to bed that night and dreamt of a word...my little word...the word that would begin a year of words.

 

my dream lead me to this word. it lead me to realize something vital. the key to a happy life is integrity.

integrity in my family

integrity in my friendships

integrity in my faith

integrity in my health

integrity in my art

integrity in every facet of my life

so the word for the year is

Integrity

it is my "beacon" word...the one on which every other thing will hinge.

 

now about "one little word".

this is not a class...

no one is keeping track of your attendance...

 no one is giving grades...

 no one is assigning you work.

"one little word" is a challenge for you and a new life for me.  Through this challenge you will learn more about me that you ever wanted to know...read these personal parts or skip them...it is all up to you.  as I have said this is as much about my growth as it is about your challenge.

 

when I left to go to college in 1971 I was as a babe in arms.  I thought I was all grown up but within the first weeks I was awakened to a life and a knowledge I carry with me still today. I went away a girl without a testimony of any faith. I returned a woman with a strong and immovable testimony of Christ and of the restoration of His gospel.

One of my first purchases was my first set of scriptures...the second was a small volume called "I Challenge You...I Promise You".  It was this book that changed forever who I was and what I believed.

I tell you all this not to teach you about my faith but to honestly tell you where this idea was formed. 

it was formed 42 years ago in a college book store...

the seed lay sleeping for all those years...

it broke ground in a dream...

it is growing through this blog.

 

I challenge you to follow me for just one year in our search for words and meaning...

I promise you I will be here no matter how often you visit, that I will complete the journey and that we will grow.

 

Here is how I am doing this:

I found an old dictionary two years ago in a charity shop here in Twin Falls. I was going to do this then but I only did one word and then never came back to it. 

 

I guess the time wasn't right. 

 

You will need a dictionary of any kind

(the cover says, "within these pages lies the key to unlock a better tomorrow)

a pencil 

a good black pen

(I found a perfect black pen through Christy Tomlinson's online shop scarletlime.com)

a paperback dictionary and thesaurus

(dollar store)

any colored pens and pencils you want to use

any stains, inks, and dyes you want to use

(I use Ranger products by Tim Holtz and Wendy Vecchi)

 

As we go along I will tell you what I did... as I go along and you will choose what you want to do.

 

That is all there is to it!

 

we all find inspiration around us.  I suggest you keep a small notebook with you to write down words that impact you in some way through out the days.  I encourage you to share them here.

 

(shared by Kelly Rae Roberts all rights belong to her)

 

I think as we go along you may want to blog your experience...please do!  I will be adding many personal experiences as I go along and you will do the same.  If you will send me your blog address I will link it to this blog.

 

CHALLENGE 1

pick a word

 

 

it is like me to get my artsy on

 

for this word I went to its home in the dictionary...I added a little bracket by the definition. *if you only want to circle the definition and write a note to yourself in the margin that is a start and pat yourself on the back!

 

next I drew the word...I made it big and fancy and black!

I made a special note to the items within the definition that spoke to me

*incorruptible

*unimpaired

*a code of moral and artistic values

 

To really anchor it to the page I added color...lots of color.  I used Tim Holtz stains and water (my pen didn't run at all). I dried the page with an embossing gun.

 

next is where I received my gift...I read the rest of the words on the page and two other little words spoke to me

 

the first was intangible,

as an asset that is not corporeal like goodwill, trust, honesty, joy...do you see the words coming to life?

 

the second was intelligence,

"the glory of God is intelligence"

a reminder to me that He is in charge and I am his priority.

 

Next clean off a table or desk or spot somewhere to keep you dictionary on display....don't hide it away!

 

 

Ok...that is all I have for now...we will be talking about how hard it can be to write and draw in a book...afterall they are sacred and a dictionary is the art of language brought to its very starting point.

 

I am happy to begin this journey and to the two or three of you who are sharing it with me...

I challenge you...I promise you

always,

michele