It started out so innocently.  A blogger, whose writing I enjoy and who I also know to be a lovely person IRL, as the kids say offered to pull a word out of hat (or bowl, or cup or bag–however she did it) for anyone who inquired, so that we could have a word on which to concentrate for the next year.

That’s the kind of thing for which I am game. I like inspiration. I like words.

I went one further.  As I was preaching the first Sunday in January, I decided to steal her idea for the children’s message that next day, using a list of words I ha been given at a continuing education event years ago. I wrote the words on little pieces of decorative paper.  I used my favorite sharpie. After I spoke to the kids at the church about words, and had the each…