The Power of Ripples: One Word That Carried Me All Year Long
—My end of the year wrap-up
A One Word of the Year practice won’t always teach you something brand-new. But it does give you fresh and valuable gifts throughout a year.
That’s exactly what Ripple did for me this year.
Beginning the Year in Pencil
Back in January, I wrote parts of my calendar in pencil instead of ink because I wasn’t sure how Ripple would unfold. I felt the uncertainty of it—what it might ask of me, where it might lead. (More about that here.)
We can never fully predict what’s ahead: the places we’ll go, the experiences will have, or the people we’ll meet—like the hospital housekeeper I met from Thailand—who quietly ripple in and leave a lasting mark.
Learning to Stay Present
I originally chose Ripple at the beginning of the year to remind me of the importance of the past and of the future.
But ironically, Ripple kept nudging me back into the present. It reminded me that this moment, this breath, this body is where life actually happens.
Sometimes that reminder came through my grandson and Daniel Tiger.
Sometimes it came through my own body telling me she was doing her best.
Sometimes it came simply through slowing down enough to stay awake to the small things.
When One Stone Falls Into the Water
The biggest lesson Ripple gave me was this:
One stone thrown into the water is never the end of the story.
A disagreement with “Mr. T-Shirt Man” taught me that.
Sending a letter in the mail did, too.
So did a simple yes that led to the next yes…and then one more…until a whole string of unexpected connections bloomed into life.
Sometimes we are present when the stone drops. Maybe we’re even the one dropping it. We are the ones creating the ripple that will outlast us, maybe reaching people we may never even know.
Other times we’re swept up in ripples from stones tossed by others on days, years, or even generations ago. (Like that crazy jigsaw puzzle synchronicity at the beach condo.)
A Ripple on a Monday Afternoon
I met a new friend just yesterday who reminded me of this truth.
She’s thriving now in her twenties, but not that long ago, she was a young girl trapped in an abusive situation. She came to see harm as normal. Several times, she tried to end her life because she couldn’t imagine another way out.
But beautiful humans—one by one, moment by moment—kept rippling into her world. Not always dramatically or perfectly. But with consistency and love.
Those ripples carried her to a new place of safety and hope.
She’s worked hard on her own healing, and she’s reaching back to help others heal, too, including learning more about our volunteer work, and eventually hoping to reach her dream of opening a shelter.
For a single Monday afternoon in December, our stories overlapped.
But that is long enough to create a shared ripple between us.
Sometimes that’s all it takes—a single moment, a single kindness, a single gift like a new backpack for a child starting over at a new school—to keep someone going one more day.
And then another.
And another.
Ripples Move Forward—Always Forward
Ripples don’t stay where they start. They move outward, sometimes far beyond sight.
This year reminded me to practice openture instead of closure—to stay open-handed with the stories still unfolding.
It reminded me to prepare for the future even as I honor the past, like when I hesitated to download this countdown app (I still haven’t done it) or when I found my mother’s words written 34 years ago that rippled back into my life just this year.
We carry the ripples of others.
We send out our own.
And together they light up the dark like fireflies on a summer night.
A Ripple Blessing for Year’s End
I wrote this Ripple blessing back in April, but I want to share it again—both for you and for me—as I close out this year of Ripple (even though the ripples never stop flowing).
May you be a ripple, flowing to see others that need to be seen.
May others ripple to you, gazing closer to witness your worth.
May you be a ripple with fresh ears to hear others’ words.
May others ripple to you, tuning into your voice as valuable.
May you be a ripple of gentle waves to heal those who’ve been harmed.
May others ripple to you with layers of compassion to soothe your wounds.
May you be a ripple of love to those from your past to your present.
May others ripple to you, enlarging their reach to surround you with love.
What small ripple has touched your life recently? Did you have One Word of the Year, too? If you want to choose one for 2026, here are 5 questions to help discover your word, and also 6 AI prompts to narrow down your list.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Related Reading to Keep the Ripple Going
Here are a few of my favorite posts this year where small moments created big impact—stories that inspired me and may inspire you too:
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Do You Write in Your Calendar with Ink or Pencil? — Holding plans loosely while navigating the unknown.
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The Ripple Effect of One Yes — How one simple yes led to a string of unexpected connections.
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Learning to Disagree Better — What a moment of conflict taught me about connection and growth.
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Ripples Through Time: Reading My Mother’s Journals — Discovering how the past can ripple into the present in surprising ways.
- How to Cope with Climate Worry: A Book to Help You Breathe Again
- Still Deciding What to Buy? You’re Not Alone
What an intense and thoughtful wrap-up for your word of the year, Lisa. Ripple has been a winner for you, and for us who read here, in so many ways, large and small. Thanks so much for all of the inspiration you consistently give. Blessings!
Thanks for your kind words, Martha. I didn’t realize that Ripple would be quite so obvious in everything I did this year, but somehow it became that way. 🙂 Everyone may be glad for me to move on to a new word soon so they can stop hearing about ripples all the time. ha. Blessings to you, too.
Thank you for all your ripples of kindness and compassion here, Lisa, and for encouraging us to send them out. It’s so true that “sometimes that’s all it takes—a single moment, a single kindness, a single gift” to encourage others to keep going. Even a smile or a compliment can brighten someone’s day. 🙂 Love, hugs, and blessings to you!
I appreciate all the times you’ve rippled love and care to me, Trudy. Thank you for being who you are in the world!
What a great wrap up, although I think the ripples will continue in your life for many years to come.
Your words have rippled through to this Aussie blogger this year Lisa, I have both enjoyed your journey & been inspired by it.
blessings, Jennifer
I love how our words swap back and forth throughout the year. I feel like I’ve “explored” ripples more due to your own posts too, Jennifer.
And I think you’re right: ripples will continue flowing in our lives for many years to come!
Lisa, such a rich wrap up of your WOTY! How beautiful to realize how much fuller our lives our with ripples! I love thinking about the fact that ripples always move forward. My tendency to look back to make sense of things, is not always wise. I also love thinking about the effect of ripples from others casting the stone into the water. Thank you for this wonderful exploration!
Thanks, Donna. I can totally relate to your tendency to want to figure out what just happened (!), and while it may be necessary at times, sometimes we just need to keep rippling forward. Thanks for the wisdom you share; I love when it ripples my direction.
What a beautiful journey you’ve been on, Lisa. I’ve been struggling enormously to write a wrap-up piece about my word (which I’ve only written about one other time this year), and I am inspired after reading this. I love how you’ve focused on small moments that create big impact. We just never know where the ripples are going to go or who they will touch, do we?
If anyone has a legit reason to NOT have written much, it’s you, Lois. What a year you’ve had! I’m glad you’re continuing to improve even with that huge stone thrown into your pond earlier this year. It made quite a few ripples in your life, yes? I’ll look forward to reading what you share about your word if you find space to put it into words.
I love that this word has been so powerful for you this year. isn’t this a great practice? I am so grateful that you keep us focused each month on this practice too as it keeps me motivated on my word. I really appreciated your help with this. Thank you!!!
Thank YOU, Jean. I’m grateful for the ripple effect I experience from YOUR one word posts. It really goes round and round. Having friends like you who also want the most from a One Word practice is so beneficial to me!
What a beautiful post. I truly love how your ‘Ripple’ has stayed alive throughout the entire year in everything you shared: in stories, encounters, and small moments. You show so clearly how one word can be deeply personal, and at the same time create ripples that reach others.
I also want to thank you for that. Not only for this posr, but for everything you’ve done around One Word this year: the writing, the sharing, the organizing, and the Facebook group as well. For me (and I’m sure for many others), that were ripples that kept reaching us — something we’re grateful for, and that helped us stay engaged with our own word.
Thank you for the words, the space, and the care — and for the ripples that continue to move outward.
I so appreciate your encouraging words, Aritha! I’ll save them so they can ripple into me for quite some time to come. 🙂 I’m so grateful for our One Word community – I truly do enjoy watching how one small word can make a difference in our lives through the course of the year.
You are an inspiration Lisa, your one words are always so insightful and this one was no exception. You are a great advocate for keeping your eyes open for what’s going on around you and taking note. I have enjoyed reading your updates and wish youw ell for 2026.
My word Listen was a great choice for me and I’e summed it up in a recent post. My word for 2026 is very different in tone!!
Thank you so much for the encouraging words. I appreciate them very much. I’ve loved your year with Listen because it prompted me to listen more too (and wishing I could do it even better!).
Ooh, I’m so intrigued about your 2026 word! I’ll look forward to reading your post about it in January.
You never know how far your reach is, but God does.
It’s been quite a year wondering about how far our ripples go out, and collecting the ripples that have flowed into me.
Amen!!