Choosing Hope for 2026: A Grateful Look Back at 2025
Hope for 2026, and a Grateful Look Back at 2025
I slept through the New Year. That says a lot about where I am in life right now. It also says a lot about what I’m carrying into 2026.
Sleeping Through New Year’s, and a West Coast “Cheat”
I slept through the New Year. That’s not a shocker. I used to stay up and say goodbye to the old year and celebrate the new one. Then I got old, I guess. If you call forty old. Which I certainly do not, at this point.
When we lived on the west coast we could cheat and watch the ball drop in Times Square live at 9:00 p.m. We would tell our young children it was New Year and send them off to bed. It took them only until they could tell time to figure that out. It was good while it lasted.
Why Some People Are Glad to See 2025 Go
Many people have said they were very glad to see 2025 go and are hoping 2026 treats them better. They have good reason to feel that way. I know of some very unfortunate times that have fallen upon people and certainly would hope and pray that this year does indeed bring them more peace, health, and calm.
A Good Year for Me, Even With the Hard Parts
I, however, will look back at 2025 as a rather good year for me. It was a year of milestones, if you will. Oh, it was not without its share of frustrations, annoyances, pain, and misfortune. That is what we call life. But overall, it was a good year.
Milestones From 2025
Our first grandchild graduated from high school. With honors, I might add. She’s attending university locally with a full academic scholarship. I have a feeling that the remaining eleven will follow like dominoes falling.
After several years of talking and planning we finally secured our building permit and broke ground on our new house. We bought a piece of property a few miles from where we now live on an adorable little lake and our daughter and her family bought a house just three doors down a few years later. My husband has built homes for years and is now a remodeling contractor. When I say we will be building our home I mean that literally. I am excited, and will probably bore my readers to tears with all the gory details for the next few months until we move in.
In October my novel that I had never thought I could ever see come to fruition was published. Since I was a child, I dreamed of being a writer, of being an author one day. In October of 2025, that dream was realized. Then people bought it, and that I suppose was the spark of joy in the process.
In November, the 22nd to be specific, we celebrated one year since my grandson had open heart surgery. He was only fifteen at the time of his surgery, so it was a pivotal year for him. You can read all about it on my blog post at https://pagestornfrommyjournal.blogspot.com, Running on a Healed Heart, or You’re Going to be Okay. He is a very healthy, normal sixteen-year-old boy now, running cross country, excited to have his driver’s license and his first job at Chik-fil-A.
A Few Sobering Moments, and a Lot to Be Thankful For
So, 2025 was pretty good. Not to say there were a few sobering moments. My mother-in-law lost her husband, my husband cut off the tip of his finger, I had a monumental birthday which we will not talk about.
But my father-in-law was 96 and more than ready to be with his Savior. John’s finger healed up way better than we expected, and it could have been so much worse. And in over 45 years of construction, this was his first trip to the ER. We’ve been fortunate.
And my birthday. Well, I did pick up some relatively inexpensive medical insurance.
Looking Ahead to 2026
I am looking forward to ’26. We will, barring a major misfortune, move into our new house. I plan to publish my second novel. My first guest spot on a podcast will air, as well at two others I have booked. Who knows? Perhaps that will put me one step closer to the goal of launching. Never mind. I’m not even going to say it. That’s just too much.
A Word for the Year: HOPE
The trend for the past few years has been to move away from New Year Resolutions, and rather focus on a word for the year. I chose one last year but am mortified to admit that after a couple of weeks forgot what it was. Probably should have written it down.
I will not do that this year. My word is HOPE.
Hope will be my word for 2026.
- Hope that everything I started in 2025 will carry over
- Hope that I can finish what I started
- Hope that I can remember where the gifts and callings come from and keep my focus right and not get lost in the noise
- Hope that this might be the year He returns for us
What word would you choose? Let me know and tell me why.
Happy 2026.
Follow this link to my novel. Thanks for the support!
Comments
Post a Comment