That first year working together, we looked for ways to grow our teaching practice and expand our own learning. In the early days of our collaboration together, we were brainstorming ways to extend our mindfulness curriculum. Annabelle suggested leading the children through the process of forming an intention for the day, a word that would guide them to thinking more deeply about qualities of mindfulness in both formal and informal ways. Karen thought that perhaps we could focus on a word for a week or two at a time, rather than just for one day so that through repetition, children could hone their understanding of the word and develop a routine.  We didn’t know at that time, even before the school year began, that we would use the intention framework throughout the entire school year. But just like when we met each other and knew that we were destined to be close friends, we knew that these important, intentional words were more than just words - they had the ability to create change.