ONE WORD

Patriot is the word of the week

I think of parades that inspire us all. I think of heroes willing to protect & sacrifice to server others.  I’m grateful for freedom and choice.

Today what memories do you have about Patriot?

The word of the Week is FEET

Today’s word is Feet.  I think of old and young,
of carrying heavy burdens.  I think of my Fathers stiff and hard working feet &  last few days on earth.  I think of my great great great great aunt.  As a little girl her feet were frozen as she walked across the planes and they never grew larger then size 3.

 

 

What do you think of when I say FEET?

The Word of the week is Temple.

This week’s word is inspired by a Majestic, Magnificent building in the Oakland Hills. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me it means Peace, Power & Ancient strength.  For you it may be the same or perhaps it reminds you of Indiana Jones or a physical specimen.  Do you think of family or lost loved ones.  What do you remember when I say TEMPLE?  Who do you remember and why?

Health is the word of the week.

Health.    Just a quick reminder of how the Word of the Week works.  We give you a word to help you spark a memory of your history and use that word as a springboard to tell more of Your Story.  Then we give you an example to get you started.  Here is todays:

Health is an elusive essence of life; it seems when you have it you can't truly appreciate it. When it’s threatened you can begin to see its one of life’s richest gifts.  During the last year we have ridden a roller coaster that should make a bucking bronco blush.  I am so grateful for health and strength, For my family and for the miracles of medicine and faith.  What memory does HEALTH bring to your mind? 

ONE WORD CHALLENGE for this week is Puppy

The word of the week this week is Puppy

Whether you have had many puppies or never had a puppy of your own,  you probably have a sweet warm memory of a PUPPY.   What’s your puppy memory?  

ONE WORD challange for this week is "Copy"

The word this week is COPY!

I'm reminded of our children as they were growing and how quick they were to  COPY anything you would do. 

One day when our oldest was about 3, I had just finished using the desktop computer and he asked if he could turn it off.  Amused that he cared or understood, I said yes.  I was so surprised when instead of reaching over with his little hand at his level, he leaned back and lifted his foot to a very uncomfortable height and pushed the power button with his toe.  Until that moment, I didn’t realize for my convenience and to avoid reaching down, I had been turning off the computer with my toe.

Copy is powerful!  Be aware of what you do and consider the example you set – you never know who is watching and “copying” you.

ONE WORD challange for this week is "Listen"

“Listen here young man! Just where do you think you’re going?” growled Coach Jackson, to a very small-scared 7th grader. This is what first came to my mind as I thought about the word Listen.

My next thought, reminds me of a friend (we will call him J).  Whenever I sit down with “J” it’s like I’m the only one in the whole world. It doesn’t matter if it was a day or a decade between visits.  I always feel heard and somehow understood.  Having a friend really listen is like water to the soul. 

To listen is a gift that keeps giving.

FIRST Word for your personal history challenge

The ONE WORD for this week is "First"

To help you get a start with this weeks word, I'll share a few of my first thoughts about First.

• Track - I ran track in High School and always wanted to be First but not always was.  I'm quickly reminded of the very pungent smell of a Bengay like ointment the trainers often had on my fellow track members.  I recall some other vivid smells related to locker rooms...
• First born - I'm number 1 of 6 boys and some days I may take my being First maybe a little too seriously. 
• Adam
• First GrandBaby
• You may want to start a list of Firsts in your My Story book of lists, like first date, first car, first kiss....

Well that should help spark you to remember your own past and get your ONE WORD started    ---  FIRST!     

Good luck this week!

 

Lane

 

One Word can start an Avalanche...

 

...of thoughts, feelings and memories. “ONE WORD" is your personal Weekly helper to spark and start your weekly personal story. 

Here's how it's worked for others. One gentleman named Max received his word of the week, it was a less common word but after a short reflection on it he knew of a story and experience with his Dad. This experience was so buried and hidden he wonders if it would have ever been found without the prompt. We invite you every week to accept the invitation and think of the word and commit to write at least a paragraph of what that word means to you and the flavor of the story that goes with it. Don't worry about getting everything perfect just start and share feelings and tactile details if you have them. Realize lots of little stories will help leave the personal history that will help others, and help them know you.
Don’t worry or lose heart even if a word doesn’t come really easy. You can take the whole week and think, remember and write. If you’ve never heard the word used, take the week to think about it, then write where those thoughts took you and what it helped you to remember. We are only committing to 1 Word, 1 paragraph, per week. You may add more but don’t worry we are just committing to get started. Be sure each week to write about your ONE WORD before the next word is released (the following Monday).
 
Now let's get back to Max his word was "Deliberate” (kinda unusual hu?) Well the thoughts it resurrected were of a night when he was about 13 years old. It was a long looked forward to adventure (like a year). He recalled how his Dad had deliberately laid out each item needed, organized, cleaned, polished and sharpened. He recalled checking its function and then repacking it all in preparation for the very early morning start of the adventure. He could recall the look and smell of this Dad’s old field jacket (a bouquet of musty, moth ball and cedar) the look feel and color of his own silver backpack. It brought a flashback, of hiking up a mountain trail before the sun had any glimmer of light. It was cold and so scary but so exciting too. Walking up the mountain the weather went from bitterly cold to a very warm, oppressively sunny day. His recollection included the flavor of foods on the adventure (mushy apple and a classic Hersey’s chocolate bar) and the smell of decomposing leaves blanketing the forest.

Every memory built on a previous memory. As you begin your journey, you’re also likely to find a memory that connects to another memory like large rocks crossing a stream. Once you find the first recollection you’ll begin to see the next, and then the next so please keep on stepping forward.

Deliberate, caused thought of the meticulousness attention to detail and making sure everything was ready for when it was needed.  What a great starting point to launch his mini story with ONE WORD.