the written word. that was my word of the year for 2016. it started out strong. i read 3 books in the first week of January, journaled, and sent several hand written letters. i even blogged. twice. i read more this year than in recent pasts, but not as much as i had hoped. i sent letters out well. but by around march all journaling stopped. i think i blogged once after march. maybe. through a series of hard conversations i felt as though my voice was taken from me. its a little hard to explain. i tried to share it the other night. i'm not sure i can. but that conversation played in my mind frequently this year, mostly because every couple of months i got the chance to be reminded. it was hard. it stung. it really hurt. silence is hard for me. almost deafening. as the year went on i watched a world of sadness unfold. from #blacklivesmatter to the election process. from hurricane matthew to ravaging fires. from terrorists attacks to shooting a