My Word of the Year 2026

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Every fall I start listening for my Word of the Year. It usually comes slowly. I notice patterns in what I read, what I hear, what keeps coming up in prayer and in everyday moments. Some years the word arrives early. This year, it waited for me.

I didn’t get my new bullet journal until this November. Normally I start in September. But that delay gave me extra time to pay attention and really listen. Maybe it was the space I needed.

As the year started winding down, one idea kept touching my heart: I am moving through this world in the presence of God. Not alone. Not on my own strength. But with Him beside me, guiding me, comforting me, and helping me show up for others.

And that is how my word found me.

Looking Back at 2025: Serenity

My word for 2025 was Serenity, guided by the full Serenity Prayer. I used it all year to help me accept what I couldn’t change, lean into courage when I needed it, and let go of things I didn’t need to carry.

✨ The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

I tried to carry serenity with me through the year — in my writing, in my aphasia journey, in my interactions with the world and in the moments that were harder than I expected.

🌿 A few ways Serenity shaped my year

Being present to inner peace

• Although we continue to go back and forth from RI to VA, we made the decision to buy a house in VA near my granddaughter and daughter. Doing this helps me focus on what matters day to day. We also registered for a church here. Finally setting down roots.

• In the summer, I started the process to become a volunteer at a local hospital in VA. I saw an ad in the church bulletin and immediately felt the calling. I now am a unit assistant, going to all patients rooms and listening to their needs.

• I didn’t always member the serenity prayer, but more often than not I chose to remind myself of what I could change, what I could not and let things go.

  
  

This Year: A New Kind of Journey

This summer I was finally ready to go into the real world again after covid, I started volunteering at Bon Secur, St. Francis hospital.

Spending time with patients — bringing a snack, offering a blanket, listening, praying — reminded me how sacred it is simply to be with someone.

It made me notice God’s presence in the small things. In quiet rooms. In gentle moments. In conversations where I didn’t have all the words, but love was still there.

I found myself thinking less about what I was doing, and more about walking with God through each moment.

And that’s when the word Sojourn came to me.

🌟 My Word of the Year for 2026: SOJOURN

A sojourn is a temporary stay… a gentle, intentional way of moving through a place. It means slowing down, being aware, noticing the sacred in the ordinary.

To me, Sojourn means:

• Walking through life with God beside me

• Remembering this world is not my final home

• Taking in each moment with softness and attention

• Letting my interactions be guided by love, not stress and anxiety

• Being present without rushing

• Serving others as part of my journey

• Trusting that God is holding me as I move forward

  
  

Sojourn reminds me that life is a journey with God, not something I have to figure out on my own.

✨ My Guiding Prayer for 2026:

Anima Christi

Since the stroke left me without words, I had to relearn my prayers and learn to pray a bit differently. I have loved the Anima Christi prayer since my pastor added that to the end of the mass. I have been practicing this prayer since the stroke and now can say it to myself. This year I will continue to practice so that I can say it out loud with the other parishioners.

Anima Christi speaks most deeply with Sojourn as it feels simple, honest and steady - the way I want to move through this next year.

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from the side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus hear me; Within your wounds hide me; separated from you, let me never be; From the evil one protect me; At the hour of my death, call me; And close to you bid me; That with your saints, I may be praising you forever and ever. Amen.

This prayer feels like a companion for the journey — a reminder that wherever I go, whatever I face, I can walk with God’s strength and protection.

How I’ll Begin My Year of Sojourn

When I open my new bullet journal, I’ll start with:

• My word: Sojourn (create a picture to go with it)

• This version of the Anima Christi

• A page for moments of God’s presence

• A place to write how I’m slowing down and paying attention

• A space for reflections from volunteering, advocacy, and daily life

• Gentle goals shaped by compassion and faith

  
  

I want 2026 to be a year where I move through life with intention… with softness… and with God’s presence close and steady.

A year where I remember:

I am on a holy sojourn. And I never walk it alone.

✨ Reflection: Choosing Your Own Word of the Year & Setting Gentle Goals

As you think about the year ahead, take a moment to pause, breathe, and listen for the word that wants to walk with you. Your Word of the Year doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to feel true, comforting, or steady.Let these questions help you discover it:

1. Listening for Your Word

• What do I feel I need most in my life right now — peace, courage, clarity, strength, rest, connection?

• What has been whispering to me lately — a longing, a shift, a direction?

• What word feels grounding or encouraging when I say it out loud?

• What word supports who I am becoming, not just who I’ve been?

• Which word feels like a steady companion when life gets overwhelming?

  
  

2. Letting Your Word Shape Your Year

Once you discover your word, use these prompts to help turn it into gentle, realistic goals:

• How can this word guide my daily life?(What small actions or habits reflect it?)

• What would living this word look like in my relationships?(Kindness, better boundaries, deeper presence, clearer communication.)

• How can this word support me in hard moments?(A reminder, a grounding phrase, a shift in perspective.)

• What do I want to say “yes” to this year because of this word?(Opportunities, rest, support, creativity.)

• What do I want to say “no” to this year because of this word?(Overwhelm, comparison, self-criticism.)

• If I imagine myself at the end of next year, how do I hope this word has shaped me?

  
  

3. Putting It Into Practice

After you choose your word, try writing:

• A short mantra or reminder phrase

• Three small goals inspired by your word

• One way you’ll return to the word during difficult moments

• One habit, practice, or boundary that keeps your word alive throughout the year

  
  

Your Word of the Year is not a rule — it’s a companion. A gentle direction. A way to come home to yourself again and again.

If you set a Word of the Year, please tell us about it in the comments.

Until next time……