I am a New Years girl. I love goals and check lists and I love the feeling of a fresh start, but resolutions have never been my thing. A few year ago I began picking a word for the year and I found that it works really well for me. 
Setting a word for the year has helped me to focus on a quality that I want to grow in myself. Last years word was ‘intentional’. It was a full year and in a lot of ways a really hard year. Being intentional with my words, thoughts and actions helped me to really lean into the relationships in my life. The past year felt somber though. It was good and I grew more than I could have imagined, but it also felt serious and deep. I need some relief.

This year after praying over it and considering what I would like more of in the coming year, I knew that my word for 2019 had to be 'happiness'.

I want more laughter, more spontaneity, more fun in 2019 and none of those things come naturally to me. I thought about words like joy and contentment but they st…