That said, the official winners are:
POSITIVITY (from Gayle B.)
and
SMILE (from Barbara R.)
Gayle and Barbara will each receive a pretty journal.
A quick note: I tried really hard to be sure I didn't miss a single word that was submitted. I think I managed to capture all of them out of my cluttered inbox, but if I missed your word, I am truly sorry. Please know that I am so grateful for all of you. I would never purposely do such a thing. Still, if I managed to leave one unmentioned, please forgive me.
INTENTIONAL_ Peggy K. ("Go with purpose and thoughtfulness and with clarity of my values!")
COMPASSION_Marguerite T. ("I pray that God will help me see others through His eyes and be ready and willing to help where needed. I have stories about how God has placed others on my heart and how He has done just that in tangible ways. God is faithful!")
BEWARE_Brenda M. ("I have been listening to Endtime and there is so much prophecy from the Bible that is happening that I want to be aware of what is going on.")
SIMPLICITY_Susan B.
PURPOSE_Carolyn J. ("Inspired by the fact that God has a plan and a purpose for my life. My goal is to strive to walk in that purpose everyday in 2026.")
REST_Evelyn F. ("Stop trying to figure it all out!")
LISTEN_Renette S. ("My word is listen. Listen for direction, correction, and love, from above. Talk less, hear more.")
HYDRATE_Helen P.
FORGIVENESS_Audrey W.
TRUST_Tracey W. ("I struggle with trusting people, but I never want to not trust my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. My husband and I are making life-altering changes this year. We are trying not to falter in our trust that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us. A plan that is better than anything we can think of for ourselves. Trust in His timing. Trust in His love for us. Trust that we can do hard things. Trust that everything will work out for the best. Trust that even in the scary times we are being held in our Father’s hands.")
FAITH and PATIENCE_Judy C.S.
CREATE_Kitty E. ("Well, I took a quiz that was supposed to tell me my word of the year, and it came up with “create”. I am not a creative person, so I don’t know how that’s going to go.")
POSITIVITY_Gayle B. ("I live with my life growing up and what happened to me in the military, suffering from depression and abuses. I live with suicidal thoughts and tendencies. POSITIVITY is the only choice left to me for a healthier future.")
TRUST_Deborah G. ("Trust Me (GOD)! No matter what it looks like, no matter what it sounds like, no matter what it feels like. JUST TRUST ME!")
HOPE_Deborah C. ("My word for this year is hope. It is because I have some health issues going on, and I hope that I get answers for those health issues this year.")
Be LIGHT_ Vicki W.
SMILE_Barbara R.
CHOOSE_Jen ("My word is choose. I want to make better choices daily!")
ACCOMPLISH_Sheila C. ("My word is accomplish. To see how much more I can do as far as hiking, doing long walks and to build up my muscles more in my new knee replacement.")
Didn't I say they were great words? Also, there are clearly some real needs and concerns. Maybe we should all add another word to the one we've chosen. PRAYER. Let's pray for each other. According to God's Word, "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." There are enough of us in this group to bombard Heaven with our prayers for one another. Let's do it!
Winners, please email me with your mailing addresses. Thank you! And thanks, as well, to everyone who took time to share your words with all of us!