The Word Of The Year That I Never Went Looking For

Thursday, 29 January 2026.

Firstly, I have never chosen a word of the year, not even close. But this year, the word chose me. It started as a whisper in the back of my mind, a recurring echo that popped up while reading, during conversations, and in those quiet moments when my mind was free to roam. When I realised that it wouldn’t leave me alone I went with a split-second impulse and created this blog, and sat down to unpack why it was sticking so stubbornly to my thoughts.

That word is SOJOURNER.

What it Means

At its simplest, a sojourner is a temporary resident. It’s someone who is “of” a place but also just passing through. It carries a different weight than “traveller” or “tourist.” A tourist is visiting a place for pleasure; a sojourner is deeply present, yet holds everything with a loose grip, knowing their ultimate destination lies elsewhere. And I have never (or as much as perimenopausal memory loss allows me to say “never”) been so in the grip of a single word, and everything it represents.

Why it Resonates

I know now that this word kept surfacing because it perfectly weaves together the two major strands of my life right now:

• Midlife: I find myself in a season of transition, where I’m no longer the young Mum whose days revolve around my children. I’m still a wife and mum, but I’m also a perimenopausal grandmother. A happy and very grateful one, but I have to confess that even typing those words freaks me out. Embracing the identity of a sojourner allows me to stop feeling unsettled by all the rapid fire changes, and allows me to recognise the beauty in these shifting tides.
• Faith: On a deeper level, and at the core of how I really feel, this dusty old Biblical word reflects a shift in my spiritual perspective. The last two years saw an awakening for me in my Catholic faith, and how I want to live it going forward. The word sojourner is a reminder that while I want to be a good person and a steward in this world, I’m not meant to get too comfortable here. It feels like a call to live more intentionally turned toward God, and with less clutter, both physical and emotional. To remember that the ambitions and ego of this world are not my eternal reward.

Finding Peace in the “Passing Through”

Unpacking this word felt like a revelation, like exhaling a breath I’d been holding for months. It settled an unease I’d been carrying about my place in a secular digital world that feels less relevant with every passing month, and helped me recognise the desire to more openly and deeply live my faith. It turned a feeling of uncertainty into a sense of purpose.

It was a word that truly burrowed itself under my skin, that took such a deep hold that I found myself here: almost compelled to write and share long after deciding I wanted nothing more to do with blogging (and oh how I’m loving it again 😉). It continues to surface almost daily, tiny moments that remind me of the fleeting nature of this life. It makes itself heard almost daily, via the Gospels and readings from the Old Testament that speak of exodus, movement, yearning, God’s people seeking something more permanent.

And as the pace begins to pick up and we return to work, school, the never-ending busyness of it all, I’ll be moving through this year praying for the grace to be a true sojourner: to love deeply, travel light, and keep my heart and mind always facing Him.

Do you have a word or a theme that’s been following you lately?