Linking with one of the most beautiful woman the internet has the gift of getting to know: Anna of IHOD. She inspires with grace, style, beauty and thrift and she does it all with meaningful purpose. 

If one were to enter my home and listen to the surroundings for more than three minutes, it would be naturally assumed that the word for the year is “Poopy.” Evidence would indicate that the word should indubitably be spoken in response to “how are you?” “what would you like for lunch?” and “would you like to help me?” or anytime at all for any reason at all, because, no matter how many times corrected, “Poopy” will always be hilarious.

Contrary to the word used with the most frequency and the one that instigates the most innapropriate laughter in children ages 1-3 and sometimes the should-be-more- authoritative 27 year old female, I’m aspiring to a more noble lexicon, and I’m dragging everyone with me.

GRATEFUL is the word, and hopefully one day, a state of being, too.

There are moments when it hits me over the head and I fall to my knees because God’s love is just so obvious. I”m consumed with an all encompassing gratitude, energized by its presence, willing to do anything in His name, including playing Candy Land with a one year old, while my two year old paints my nails. Gracias Dios!

There are other moments when there is a combination of Rice Krispies and Chocolate Syrup making more of a visual impression than the floor underneath it, my back hurts, I’m dirtier than the house, one kid cries because she stole the syrup and the other does a full body layout to lick it all up, and ‘this is all so hard’. In the spirit of the year, let me be the first to say, “thank you, baby Rita, for using your tongue to help your mother clean, and the intensity with which you licked did not go unnoticed!”

In moments of suffering, much greater than those instigated by a noisy cereal, I want to maintain the knowing that comes in instances of happiness, of strong feelings, opportunities and passion, and I want to express it with a grateful spirit and a happy soul, even when it hurts, and especially when it hurts, so that the moments of clarity consume my heart more than the moments of sticky mess and ear drum ringing crying.  And, of all the things in this world, and all the people, too, I want the Big Guy to know that He is the best, and there is no one I’d rather get to know and I really really mean it.

To help us along we will be living with less and giving more to the poor, or in the words of Josie, “the poe,” and in the words of James the “pow” and in the words of Rita, “mine.”

Read the much better posts on In Honor of Design. And with 50 weeks left in 2014, let me be the tardiest to say, Happy New Year.