Many people choose a personal word of the year to focus on for 365 days instead of making New Years resolutions. I’ve been doing that for the past few years and think it’s a winning idea. This year, though, one word isn’t quite enough. My one word for 2018 is **Family** paired with three related words …
Kindness, Patience and Compassion.
You see, my dear parents — aged 90 and 92 — have been living in their own home, and I brought them from another state recently — and quite abruptly — to live in a senior independent living center three miles from my house.
Their health has been declining rapidly, and it’s time to move them closer — since they were a six-hour drive away and I work full-time.
Many of the things they’ve done for a lifetime, they can no longer do.
It’s been a huge transition for all of us.
They are, understandably, pretty overwhelmed and a little fearful of this significant life change that includes the loss of driving and part of their cherished independence.
And I — having never parented my parents before — am feeling the same way.
I just hope that during 2018 I can keep my parents in the forefront and use all the kindness, patience and compassion possible as I help them navigate their new life, one day at a time.
Related blog posts:
- My One Word for 2017
- How to Find the Perfect One Word for 2017
- My 2016 Word of the Year — and 247 Ideas for Yours
- My One Word for 2015 is Actually Two Words
- The Incredible Power of Words
- 2016 Life Goals
- 2015 Life Goals — Not Resolutions
- Mixed 2015 Life Goal Results: Some Wins, Some Dismal Failures
- Simple Life Goal
- 15 Bucket List / Lifetime Goals Accomplished So Far: The Dream Versus the Reality
- Valuable Life Lessons My Parents Taught Me
- I Am the Woman I Am Today Because My Mother…
- A Tribute to Amazing Women, Fabulous Females in My Life
- Brave Women Go Places Alone
- Create a Happiness Jar — And Enrich Your Life in Less Than a Minute a Day
- Three Good Things — A New Twist on a Gratitude Journal
- Victory Log — List Today’s Accomplishments, Gain Satisfaction
- Ten Reasons to Keep a Sentence-a-Day Five Year Journal
- Feel-Good Way to Start 2015: List 200 Accomplishments
Happy New Year, Dianne! That’s so loving a thing to do. I can only imagine what a difficult transition that was for them but having you so close will be very worth it. I love your words – they are perfect for us all for 2018!
Hi Carolann-
Happy New Year to you, too! And thanks for your nice comment.
Definitely a difficult transition to make, on you and your folks.. Glad they’ll be closer though, they are blessed to have you! My dad is 91 and still lives alone. My sister is two doors down, so she’s with him quite often, but the rest of us are all out of state. We fly down as often as we can to visit/help. Wishing you and your folks the best..
Have a Happy New Year!
Kathleen Howell recently posted…#WeekendCoffeeShare: Hello 2018!
Diane: Thank you for stopping by my blog (In Others’ Words) and sharing how our One Words for 2018 intertwine. I understand your journey with your parents, as my husband’s mother is 99 years old, and moved into assisted living a year ago (less than ten minutes from the us). Yes, we are thankful to have her nearby, and desire to love her with kindness and compassion.