Star Words

I've been quiet on here these past few weeks. I wanted to check-in.

Tonight and tomorrow, we are getting up to a foot of snow so winter break has been extended. My two older kids are looking forward to shoveling driveways for money. Well, my daughter says she wants to shovel snow for elderly neighbors for free, while my son has no problem asking for what he thinks he is worth. His finances reflect this! I'm trying to teach my daughter that she is still doing a nice thing, even if she makes money while doing it. Sometimes women are like this, we feel bad making money. I told her to channel her brother. That's what I do when I'm trying to make money 😀

I'll be back to my more focused writing soon, once the kids get back to school and I get back to my routine. Routine, how I love thee.

I’ve been attending Ravensworth Baptist Church for about two months now. I feel at home. At the end of the service this morning, everyone received a "Star Word" for the year (Google it). I've seen this but have never done this so was excited to take my pick. The word I received was "Self-Love." I think this can be the Geraghty 2025 star word. We are a driven and ambitious bunch but achievement comes at a cost when driven by fear or shame. Some people worry that if they are not hard on themselves, they won't be as motivated. Research shows that people who practice self-compassion are more motivated and persevere longer! So, it's something to practice. Loving ourselves. We'll see what else bubbles up from this star word throughout the year.

Some people in the congregation shared how their 2024 star words shaped them throughout the year. One woman stood up to share that her star word was...I think it was "receive." All year she and her husband pondered this word, taped to the fridge. Half way through the year, they were contacted by a man who was their foster child in 1983 for about 4 months. He is 50 now. He was ten when they had him and the last time they saw him he was 12. They said he was great, and they loved him, and they hoped he would have a good future but didn't think too much about their time beyond that.

Well, mid-way through the year, this man, their former foster son, contacted them. He wanted them to know what a difference they had made and how those few months in their home changed the trajectory of his life. This woman said that they never ever would have thought that they made a difference in his life beyond their short time with him. Her sharing reminded us that sometimes the very tiny things we do, things that we don't think much about, make huge differences in this world. She was thankful to have received the gift of this phone call from her ten year old foster son, now a 50-yr-old man. The phone call also reminded us how sometimes the people we do things for do as much or more for us. I think we have to be open to receiving that. Take a healthy dose of humility and grace.

I felt super comfortable on my couch this morning. At 10:30, I sent my two church partners a text and said, I don't think I'm going to make it today. I'll miss you guys. One of my friends responded, "I miss you already!" And I was like, well now I'm going. I jumped up from the couch to get ready...and who else jumped off the couch? My son. So we went together. He rejected his star word. I told him, "Too late. It's already out there." Ha.

Looking forward to writing to you soon!

Please subscribe and share. Share, share, and share! Recently I got about 50 new followers from a random note I posted. (Hi, to my new subscribers!) Thank you so much, you all. And thank you so much to those subscribers who support my writing financially. All of this has been a huge boost as I've found my footing in this wilderness I've been hiking blind.

Here is a great poem from the Advent Devotional my church has been reading. Made my eyes spring a leak. -- from “The Road Winds Ever On” by Rev. Anna Strickland | @sanctifiedart

Peace!

Lauren Geraghty