Looking Behind
As I welcome the new year, I find myself looking back on both the joys and sorrows of 2025.
The joy of welcoming not one, but two, precious new grandbabies into the mix. The sorrow of saying goodbye to my sweet father-in-law, mingled with challenging health scenarios for both of my parents.
I think about our family gatherings and the thankfulness I feel each time we’re all together. I think about the cords of friendship and how they are woven within, and encircled around, our hearts. I think about my husband and I experiencing our first cruise and how special it was to connect with friends, both old and new.
I ponder this precious life we’ve been given and how quickly time fades. I wonder if I’ve done enough, been enough. I wonder if I’m currently doing and being enough for those I love, for those I encounter in my day to day, for those God so lovingly and strategically places within my circle of influence.
Am I making a difference in their lives? Am I allowing others to make a difference in mine? I pray that I am.
I pray that in the midst of all my busy, I still take time to talk to God, to be kind to strangers, to love on those God has entrusted to me. Most of all, I pray that my life will reflect His goodness and not be skewed by my humanness. May my words and actions lead others toward Him and not away from Him.
Looking Ahead
As I consider these things, I am reminded that my hope for this new year is to be consistent in what matters most. Consistency in doing good, not only for others, but also in caring for myself the way God intended. For me, this means consistently choosing to spend time with God in both bible reading and prayer. Choosing to love my family well, which I’m learning looks different from season to season. Choosing to eat foods that are healthy for me while refraining from those that are not. Choosing to walk a little every day, with a goal of one or two miles most days. Choosing to take one baby step after another toward my writing goals.
