My word for 2021 is shift. Like everyone I know, I’ve learned a lot, since this time last year. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that change and uncertainty just are. Since I’m not in control of much more than which yoga pants, Zoom-appropriate top, and slippers I’ll wear each day, I needed to figure out how I could deal with all the change and uncertainty. That’s where shifting comes in.

For me, shifts involve acceptance and adjustment. I know I don’t have much control, but I have unlimited choices. I can shift. 

Some of my recent shifts have been pretty significant. Some have been tiny. Some haven’t happened, yet. And I’m sure I’ll make a lot of shifts I can’t even imagine.

I began a shift this week that I expect will prompt many more shifts in my heart and life.

My cousin Kev shared this image with me several years ago. I’d hadn’t seen it before then. It was taken on my first trip to England, to meet My mother’s family. That’s Pop and Nana on the left. Mom’s in the middle. And Mari is standing watch over me, as usual.

This was the only time I spent with Pop. He died a few years after this visit. So I don’t have many memories of him. Thankfully, I do have plenty of memories of Nana, Mom and Mari though.

The importance of memories has been a huge shift for me lately. They used to be like pretty bows that decorated past experiences. They’ve now become the fibers that weave together the people and places that are my life.

One memory I’m celebrating today is that 96 years ago, Edna Jackson Bearnes was born to Ludwig and Amy Jackson, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Mom was a force of nature. And I’m so glad she was born.

What kind of shifts have you experience or witnessed lately?