What's in a name?

Juliet:"What's in a name? That which we call a rose - by any other name would smell as sweet."Romeo and Juliet

My good friend Julie suggested I talk about some necklaces I made for our little group. It all started with five or six of us several years ago as a bible study/fellowship. It became oh so much more than that over the years. Although I moved from California almost 4 years ago, I still consider myself a part of this group - actually there are 2 of us who live in another state now, and others have since joined.

A few years ago someone in the group suggested that on January 1st, instead of making a resolution, we would all "name the year" - in other words, describe in one word what we each want the year to look like. Hopefully, as the year unfolds, each will incorporate that word into their prayer life and grow...

This year I created a necklace for each woman, with their word on one side and "2009" on the reverse - a tangible reminder of what they set forth to accomplish. I presented these to each friend (one had to be sent off) when I was down in California for a visit last month.

These necklaces are made from small rectangular pieces of glass I cut on my wonderful glass cutting grid. I then printed out the words for front & back and cut them to the size of the glass. All this is copper taped & soldered together and a ring is attached for a chain and presto - a token of friendship and love...

One of the words chosen was "zoe" which was a mystery to me, I must admit. As I was soon to find out, it is a Greek word that translates to "life abundant", and Julie claimed it for her year after hearing Pastor Ron speak about it. Pretty sweet, don't you think? Some other words were wholeness, push, stability, fulfillment, and serenity. I just goes to show you how different each woman's journey is...

Okay, I am sure you are all wondering what my necklace said.....GROW. I wanted 2009 to be a year in which I grew as a wife, mom, grandma, friend, sister and daughter, but mostly I wanted to grow in my spiritual life - if I accomplish that, the rest will follow, right?

Beginning this journey into the world of "the blog" is one way I have grown, and I am glad you stopped by to see what I am up to in my wee attic....