The Power of AND
OLW
It was only last year, having fallen in love with both the Poetry Friday and the Spiritual Journey communities, that I waded into the pond of One Little Word.
Trepidation… Dread…
Could I really commit to –let alone choose – ONE word to guide my year? And what would that really mean, anyway?
Gratefully, I can answer yes. LISTEN accompanied me across 2023. It was my reminder to only read that which I could deeply absorb; to set aside multi-tasking when on the phone; to be both physically and mentally present with people. I hope I have become a better listener.
So, when it came time to consider my OLW for 2024, I gave it some consideration. A number of words floated in and out of view as year-end approached. Connect. Gather. Both good possibilities. My coming year has oodles of opportunities for both. Turns out my poetry partners (The Nevermores) chose connection for a year-long theme to incorporate into our poetry. I was considering Gather, when a conversation with my counselor kept returning to me:
Two things can be true at the same time.
If you’re interested in my deeper dive into AND, I wrote about it for this week’s first Poetry Friday post here.
What I didn’t say in that piece is:
And is a spiritual word. It resonates deeply with me as a word of love. I believe that our Creator was intentional in making heaven AND earth – the perfect AND the imperfect; an untamed AND shapeless creation full of all the possibility that AND can hold.
When considering And, I became aware of BUT. I started seeing the power of substituting one for the other. I hear (and read) AND as inclusive, not conditional. I find relief in knowing I can be both organized AND messy, rational AND irrational, logical AND emotional. This is the God who loves me for all that I am, all my ANDs.
I am walking into 2024 hoping to love the world back, like God does – with all of its ANDs.
Some Of My Ands
WifeDaughterMotherSisterCryerWhyerAuntFriendAmmaWriterPoetPartnerDogloverRowerBikerMominlawTravelerHikerPatientLifelonglearnerReaderDreamerIdealistCatholicNonpracticerBelieverLiberalEarthloverUScitizenDemocratProgressiveArizonanParttimeTahoeresidentMountainloverCoffeedrinkerWordpuzzlerOptimistTheologianAlumnaRetireeDesertmotherSpiritualguideWisdomseekerWordproviderSlowerdownerTendertoucherReaderWonderWandererSomeofmyAnds
I am grateful to Margaret Simon who inspired me to jump into Spiritual Journeying last year. She leads us off with her OLW here. Go read and relish in all the linked reflections at the end of her post.
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
I don’t think I’ve ever considered a conjunction for a OLW. I like it. I was listening to something yesterday, maybe it was the sermon, when the speaker used And with a capital letter. Two things being true at the same time. It is a spiritual word. I know from experience that I can hold joy and sorrow at the same time. I look forward to hearing more about how you use And in your life.
Patricia, Like Margaret, I never considered a conjunction for an OLW but I see how perfectly it fits. We are made up of contradictions. We are complicated individuals made up of this and that. “And” also gives us many opportunities to go beyond our perceived limits, to expand. I can do this and…. I can help here and…. Think of how many discoveries have been made by someone thinking, “If I do this and that….” May your year of “and” lead you to new discoveries.
Wow, Patricia, that AND is a perfect word for thinking of how two things can be true at once, and I love how you have described how God created and loves us with all our ANDs. That one long word you wrote in “Some of My Ands” has helped me get to know you better. What a wonder! Thank you for this lovely post and broadening my idea of a one little word.
Patricia, this is an interesting choice AND I look forward to reading more about you AND your journey! Best wishes for a great year.