After much deliberation, I've chosen my word for 2014:

reclaim 
  verb
    1. to get back (something that was lost or taken away)
    2. to bring (waste land) under cultivation
    3. to get (a usable material) from materials that have been used before
    4. to rescue from an undesirable state; to restore to a previous natural state
    5. to demand or obtain the return of 
  noun
    1. the action or process of reclaiming or being reclaimed.

The definition captures what I'm going for and seems to encompass some of the other finalists I was considering:

transform, redeem, identify.

I don't particularly love those words themselves but the concepts are fitting. Other words worth noting that I do love and may reappear in the future:

welcome, close, uncover, Providence.

A few more that captured my attention, albeit briefly compared to reclaim:

remodel, forward.

Finally, because I suppose I do love words, and just because they are beautiful:

precipice, intimacy, dawn.

All those words and I couldn't seem to get away from reclaim. You could say it claimed me.