Emily Rachelle Writes

So apparently a few readers of last week's post misunderstood what I was saying. And I can understand that; I was purposefully vague, but maybe a little too vague. Just know that, if you were reading that post and believed it was about you, it probably wasn't. If you were reading it and thought it was about my parents, it definitely wasn't. Now, on to today's post! I've decided to dedicate this month's blogging to the OneWord365: Focus 2014 theme. Today we have a word study, similar to what I did last year with Dream 2013. Next week, come back to hear my fellow students' take on "Focus." Enjoy, my lovely readers! focus      (noun)      1. a point in an optical system to which something converges or from which it appears to diverge      2. (a) focal length (b) the distinctness or clarity with which an optical system renders an image          (c) adjustment for distinctness or clarity      3. ...

Some of you, my lovely readers, will remember that last year, I began participating in the OneWord365 community. (For a refresher, stop by my page explaining what that's about and how I'm involved.) Last year, 2013, was "dream." This year, I chose "focus." I have not been as active on the blog this year as last year, and I certainly haven't shared much about my One Word 2014. But I've still been focusing on, well, "Focus." When your last summer at home falls apart, you can choose to focus on how selfish people ruin what should be your happy time... or you can focus on the fact that you've still got several days you can work to make happy ones just for you. When you start a new life at a new school, you can choose to focus on everything you identified with in high school... or you can focus on the stuff that actually interests you today, and find a new identity along the way. When you start fresh with friendships, you can c...

FOCUS means saying no.  It means giving up the things that eat my time but no longer -- or maybe never did -- seem worth it to me. It means giving up something I'd like to do for something I'd love to do -- or, yes, something that just has to be done. It means logging off LibraryThing forever so I can spend my time on sites I like better (or even offline entirely.) It means turning down a book review offer, no matter how great the book, because I already have a stack of unread tomes on my nightstand. FOCUS means living now.  I will focus on what the pastor is saying, not on my Sunday afternoon to-do list. I will hear what my friends are saying and not formulate my response before they're halfway through a sentence. I will log off the computer before my blog post is complete to play a board game with my brothers. I will attempt to slow down and actually enjoy the novel. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather ...

It's that time again, my lovely readers. Time to pack up the tree and toss out the wrapping paper. Time to find homes for all those Christmas presents. Time to get ready for New Year's Eve! Along with a new year comes new year resolutions. After a whole year of honing in on just one little word, dream, I've decide d to keep up OneWord365 as a tradition. So for this year, my one word will be... What to Do With Your One Word Originally posted Dece mber 30, 2012 Claim your word  - with  free blog buttons  made by Melanie, personalized with your word to match your blog design (the images above? those are buttons she made for me!).  You  can also share your word on  www.myoneword.org , and link up a post about it on Melanie's blog  here . Wear your word  - on personalized jewelry from Etsy!  You might know of an Etsy shop that makes personalized, hand-stamped jewelry.  If not, here are a few I've found:  Tiny Tokens De...