I was inspired to call this Monday’s link party “This Little Word Of Mine” because of a sweet story my friend, Traci, shared with me in Nashville last month. It had to do with her, (then) 3-year-old son, Jonathan, singing the song “This Little Light Of Mine”. Today, Jonathan is 12 years old, and he can still sing like nobody’s business! So in honor of the upcoming party, he and Traci created a special, little, a cappella tune for us all. Take it away, Jonathan!
(Click the play button on the video below to hear Jonathan sing!)
Isn’t he AWESOME?! (Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents with us, Traci and Jonathan! We love you guys!)
I’ve received some really inspiring messages from some of my favorite people about their words of the year this past week, too. I got one from my Mom…
“My word of the year is SMILAX. Every time I say, or think about it, I feel like I’ve invented a new word, that combines two of my favorites: “smile” and “relax”. In all reality, the word SMILAX should muster up feelings of almost completely the opposite. In the gardening world, SMILAX is an aggressive thorny vine, that laughs at herbicides, and grows into dense, impenetrable thickets. My New Years resolution is to remove all of the SMILAX from my yard, which means I will be spending countless hours digging up the bulbous root systems with a shovel. That being said, I’m thankful to have a yard, thankful to be healthy enough to tackle the job, thankful for all the exercise I’ll be getting, and last but not least, I will be so thankful when it is gone! That’s when I will smile…and relax.”
One from my Aunt Chriss…
“The last twenty years of my life have been focused around being a wife and a mom. But today, my daughter is in her second year of college, (and doing very well) and my son (a junior in high school) has become more independent, and doesn’t need (or want) as much attention as he used to. My purpose is starting to change. It’s almost palpable. I’ve felt it since we took our daughter to college for the first time in 2010, but the feeling is so much stronger now. I am in transition. As a matter of fact, I almost chose ‘transition’ as my word for 2012, but it doesn’t adequately describe what I want for my year. A transition is something that happens to you — and I want to be in control of my life; I want to affect the transition. So my word of the year is MOVE. Yes, like a lot of people, I want to exercise and lose weight, (I had my second Zumba class tonight and yoga starts on Wednesday!) but there’s more to this little word of mine. I want to MOVE toward positive people, thoughts, and activities- and attract those things back to me, too. In doing so, I’ll move away from negativity, and destructive attitudes and situations. This will be a year of re-definition for me. I will search for who I am going to be next, and MOVE in that direction…dancing, developing, changing, varying, motivating, and affecting, along the way.”
One from Kevin’s Mom…
“The word I have chosen for 2012 is GIVE. I am making a commitment to GIVE my tithe, time, and talents, in service to Christ, through my church. To GIVE more quality time to the needs of my family members. To GIVE time to be of service to members of my neighborhood. To GIVE a smile to a strangers I meet at the grocery store, the mall, etc. But first and foremost, I GIVE thanks and praise to God for loving me so much He gave His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. Through the ultimate sacrifice of His son, and my belief and acceptance of Him, God will GIVE me a place in Heaven with Him forever. This GIVES me joy and peace, daily.” – Kevin’s Mom, Katie
And one from Mr. Lettered Cottage, himself…
“My word of the year is REACH. I will reach inside myself to be more, do more, and give more. I will reach up to God, reach out for help, and reach down to pull others up. And when I feel like I’ve reached the end of my rope, I will continue to reach.”
(My word of the year is UP and I had fun blogging about it HERE.)
If you blogged about your word of the year, I hope you’ll swing by on Monday and link up your post!
Ooh- and speaking of linking up, I sort of see the link party thumbnails looking something like (but certainly not exactly like) this…
That way, party-goers can click around on the words they’re drawn to.
Your thumbnail image could even be a fun photo of your word…like these I found on Google Images:
Or maybe you took a photo of your word for your blog post? That would make an awesome thumbnail image, too!
And like I said, I’m just throwing out ideas here, but maybe the description underneath your thumbnail photo could be the title of your ‘Word of the Year’ post, or the name of your blog. (?) Whatever works!
Just have fun with it, and thanks so much in advance for partyin’ with us! We can’t wait to read about your word!
PS- If you don’t have a blog, we’d love to read about your word of the year in the comments sections of Monday’s post!
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I love Katie’s comments. A reminder to me to share Christ’s love for me with others…. even in the little things — like smiling at someone at the grocery store!
oh…wonderful words. so inspiring! my word is focus. i need to get a tattooed on my forehead. i need constant reminding!! lol
Tell Kevin’s Mom I SO appreciated her word and it has encouraged me to be more focused on that this year.
He has such an amazing voice! Thanks for sharing that. I need to narrow down on my word for the year – it’s an inspiring task, but also overwhelming when there is so much I want to do this year!
Traci – your son ROCKS!! HOW precious, my friend. That just did my heart good. Raising Godly men who want to let their Jesus light shine for Him. 🙂
(Thanks for sharing it, Layla)
Thank you, Jen! 🙂
Traci!!!!!!
Jonathan – definitely anointed! Little man can without a doubt SING some praises. I have been blessed tonight
Marilyn C.
ahhh – your Kevin is in my head – REACH. Yep! my word, too! 🙂
So, this little guy looks like Michael Buble and certainly has the voice to go with it! Wow!
Thanks, Emily! Michael Buble is one of his favorite singers. 🙂
That young man sings like a bird! What a blessing he must be! Thank you for sharing it.
Jonathan is an incredibly gifted singer! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Wow, that kid can sing! Awesome! I’m off to make my word all fancy pants for the link! 🙂
Really enjoyed all the comments, but Kevin’s comments really spoke to Dad and Me. We love you, son.
This is my favorite post and Blog!!!! It makes me smile and fills me with inspiration!
What a special song and young boy ! He gave me chills 🙂
Katie’s message gave me the goosebumps. That is such a beautiful and encouraging perspective! My word is INTENTIONAL, but I haven’t blogged about it yet. 🙂
Thank you for being such a bright spot in blog land and everywhere you go!
I also love the idea for the thumbnail linky…I love me a design project!
Happy day!
Amazing singer child!
Wow! Goose bumps! Wonderful performance!
What an amazing voice for someone so young. He certainly has a bright future ahead of him. Thanks for sharing.
What a talented young singer! He has an amazing voice! Thanks for this inspirational post!
What a voice! And a cutie pie, to boot! He lives in the country capital…I expect we’ll be seeing more of him in years to come! 🙂
Very inspirational! Jonathan has a wonderful voice! I live outside of Nashville, so hope to see and hear more from him in the future.
Amazing talent! I love that sweet song. 🙂
-Revi
WOW! What an awesome voice!!
Well, I know my word for Friday is is “GIFT”. That boy’s voice is a gift straight from God. Holy moly.
What an awesome voice-I wanted to clap for him at the end. Beautiful song.
\(\\pardon the typ\ing, my \2yo\ is hel\ping m\e, \she’s \saying).
Ok.. have her busy on my cell phone drawing now. 🙂
This post is so introspective and complimented with such a beautiful voice (my daughter is trying to sing that now:), just want to say thanks! 🙂 I chose the word PEACE for my word because it is so needed in our household. 🙂 Peace from disorganization, peace from clutter, just a peaceful environment for our family to be and grow.
WOW! (and that’s word!) Amazing voice, love the song, love the words! Thanks for sharing!!
WOw! That kid is talented!!!! It actually brought tears to my eyes; and I’m not one who tears up very often! God has really blessed him with a gift; thank you for sharing it!!!
wow what a beautiful voice…..!
I am touched by everyone of your picks, especially your husbands & how it works with yours…reach up …up reach …either way it has inspirational meaning!
Very cool, I’m still loving the word of the year idea.. have yet to come up with mine, but I’ll keep working on it!
Francisco. Ha ha!
Maybe Cory can make me a little thumbnail thingy like that? I’ll check…
I love your word. And Kevin’s. And your mom, his mom, all the moms. Can’t wait to link it UP.
AMAZING talent that Jonathan has! I’m having fun thinking about my word this year…
PS – Jonathan! Holy cow. Amazing! Can’t wait to show Calvin.
Thanks for the encouraging words!
WHAT!!!! This child is amazing! My word for the year is Best. I am going to do my best at whatever I put my heart, hand and mind to this year.
A natural “talent” he has the gift of song and God! Lucky young man. Thank you for sharing!
Such amazing talent! Can’t wait for the party! Such an inspiring idea Layla. One that is coaxing me out of my shell. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing that amazing voice – what a beautiful child!
I absolutely LOVE Traci and her sweet, sweet family! I feel like I know her personally from her sweet and genuine posts. She shares so much of herself with her readers and has been such a blessing to me! Thank you for sharing!!
Wow! Jonathan!! That was amazing! Really perked up my Friday afternoon coffee break at work 🙂 Thank you!!!
Looks like all us moms will be busy girls this year – GO CHRISS AND KATIE! (you, too, Kevin – wanna’ come help me dig? :-))
Loved Jonathan’s performance!! Traci’s doing a wonderful job raising such a Godly young man! Way to go, Momma!! And thanks Layla for passing it on to us!:) That totally inspired me!:)
WOW that guy is an AMAZING singer!!! AWESOME!
Thank you for the inspiration for my thumbnail when linking up’. I just came in from the backyard after a little photography session with my word! I haven’t felt inspired to have a word….until a few days ago when I sensed a theme in my life…..thus leading me to my word! So this weekend, I look forward to sitting down and writing! And looking forward to linking up on Monday!!
By the way, my blog just got an update/redo. I started blogging in November and am thrilled with the update. I know you get lots of posts and requests, but if you find yourself with a spare moment, feel free to come over and browse!
Thanks, Jen
athomeinthenorthwestblog.com
That young man can sing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of a young Michael Buble. What’s better about Johnathan though – he sings about Jesus! Keep up the great work Kid!
that’s so funny I see my word in your google images! looking forward to the party!
Debbie
oh, love the song/video too!
Debbie
Such wonderful words from everyone. I know the whole word for the year thing is new to me and well, I think I like it. Great singin’ there kiddo! Keep up the talent.
My word is Diligent
That Jonathan…………..he’s like a little Buble.
Layla, I just love you. Seriously. I am so proud and glad to see the video of Jonathan here! I love the story of his singing “This Little Light of Mine” to his mama all those years ago. For you now to showcase his talent is wonderful!
I am beyond excited about this linky party. You’ve already inspired me to add a fun photo of my word for the year, and I really look forward to sharing my post with you. And I’m really, really looking forward to seeing what word others have chosen. I just love it when we in the blogging community can encourage and spur one another on. I think your having this linky party is one way you are letting your light shine!