Their word, my word

Photo by sallydell/istockPhoto.com

So the wordsmiths over at Oxford University Press chose their 2009 Word of the Year. They announced their decision Nov. 17 -- drumroll, please--and the word is: unfriend.

Unfriend is a verb that means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking site, such as Facebook.

I had lots of fun over on The Writing Road blog talking about other words that were in the running for OUP's 2009 Word of the Year. Funny thing is, I pick a Word of the Year too. However, my reason for selecting a word has nothing to do with it's popularity the previous 12 months.

Nope.

About five years ago, I abandoned New Year's Resolutions. The whole list thing--I failed that. I usually lost my list of good intentions by the end of January.

Then I read an article--and I so wish I could remember who wrote the article so I could give much-deserved credit where it is due. The author talked about focusing on a word for one year. 365 days. Living out that word as your theme for the year.

Simple theory. I liked it.

And so, after mulling and pondering and praying, I've selected words each year. So far, my words have included:

1. gratitude
2. content
3. simplify

For 2009, my word was forgiveness. To be honest, I asked God if I could trade that word in for another one. He ignored my suggestion. And so, I've wrestled with the heart-wrending truths of forgiveness for the past 11 months.

I've re-discovered that I am not naturally a forgiving person--and that young children are. I've discovered that forgiveness is a choice--again and again and again and again and again and again. You get my point. I've spent hours on my face before God wrestling with the who and the what and the how of forgiveness.

That's not bragging. That's confession.

And guess what? I already know what my word for 2010 is.

Forgiveness.

Yep.

I've got miles to go before I understand and live out forgiveness on a daily, breathe-in-breathe-out basis. I find that my focus is off of "them" and on me right now.

When you think about it, their word--unfriend--and my word--unforgiveness--are related.

Gotta' think about that. But I've got 13 months, don't I?

Guest blogger over at Hearts at Home

I'm the guest blogger over at the Hearts at Home blog today! The post is a rerun of my "In Pursuit of #1" column.

Hearts at Home is all about encouraging moms. I spoke at their national and regional conventions in 2oo8 on the topics of motherhood and perfection and how moms can help their sons choose purity in an X-rated world.

News of Interest for Moms November 9, 2009

News to know:

Actress Kristen Stewart comes out to help fight Juvenile Diabetes

Actress Kristen Stewart, star of the upcoming New Moon, came out to L.A.’s Dodger Stadium on Sunday to kick off the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Walk to Cure Diabetes. Stewart joined boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and former Charmed actor Dorian Gregory, who has had diabetes for two decades.

Stroller company announces major safety recall

Stroller maker Maclaren expects to recall 1 million umbrella strollers on Tuesday, due to a potential finger hazard for children. A side hinge mechanism poses a hazard to children's fingerss when the umbrella stroller is being opened or closed, the company says. The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

The company is providing free of charge to all affected consumers and retailers a kit to cover the stroller's hinge mechanism. Contact the company here.

E.coli risk in school lunches sparks probe

A recent outbreak of E.coli killed at least two people and sickened about two dozen others in 11 states. The outbreak was linked to ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y. No schools were involved in the outbreak.

But the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.

Study: High school jocks likelier to drink, fight

A nationwide study of 13,000 teens found that male high-school athletes are 1.4 times likelier to binge drink and 1.3 times likelier to fight.

On the bright side, boys who play team sports were found to be less prone to suffer from depression and to smoke cigarettes, researchers found.

News of Interest to Moms November 6, 2009

News to know:

Unhealthy food ads pervasive on kids' shows
One-fifth of commercials kids are likely to see on late-afternoon and Saturday morning television are food-related, according to a new report. Seventy percent of those commercials advertise fast-food restaurants, sugary food, chips, crackers and sugar-added beverages.
The study was published in the Nov/Dec issue of The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Researchers examined 5,724 commercials on 12 networks.
Fruits, vegetables, and juices were advertised in only 1.7 percent of the commercials. Only one nutrition-related public service announcement was found for every 63 food ads.

Report: Premature birth rates fuel infant death rates in U.S.
High rates of premature births are the main reason the United States has a higher mortality rate than other rich countries, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Most European countries — as well as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore — have lower rates of infant death than the United States.
More than 540,000 babies are born prematurely per year. Often, premature babies are born to poor and minority women who lack health care. Infertility treatments, which increase the chances of multiples, also play a role in the higher premature birth rates.

Helping our children with stress
A third of the 8 to 17 year olds surveyed reported feeling more stress than they had a year ago, according to a new Stress in America report.

• Nearly half are worried about school
• Thirty percent are worried about family finances
• Twenty-nine percent of teens report worrying about what comes after high school

Study: Babies cry with an accent

Babies cry with an accent within the first week of life, according to a study published Thursday in Current Biology.

Researchers recorded the cries of 60 babies born to French or German parents. They discovered that newborns cry with the same "prosody" or melody used in their native language by the second day of life.

Fort Hood shooting: Five tips to help parents talk to their kids about violence in the news