This Will Be Our Year

This will be our year?

2025 has been a long year.  I have vague memories of new year's resolutions and goals I set for myself, but then… Look, this year has been challenging.  I had a steroid shot in my spine way back in January to correct some ongoing back pain.  My mother-in-law broke her ankle in February, Paul re-tore his previously repaired ACL in March, and had it replaced in April, followed by months of rehab.  I managed to re-injure my back, and my  doc implied I was an idiot.  Actually, what he said was “you are aware that the shot in January did not make you superman?” Matthew changed jobs twice.  The governor ordered all state employees working from home to return to the office.  That part wouldn't have been so terrible for Kathleen, except the number of state dhs employees outnumbers the number of seats in the sequoyah building by a few thousand. Friends and loved ones have had their own share of challenges this year as well.

Early in 2024 I went to a vision board party at my friend Erika’s.  I’ll drop a picture of my vision board here.   

When I got home, I set it on the bed to take a picture, and Shadoe kitty promptly attacked it, scratching it, pulling away paper with his teeth.  I should have taken that as a sign.  I’m trying to manifest for this year, and Shadoe kitty says, “sorry, the universe says NO.”

 

Spoiler alert:  We lived through it.  We survived.  I am not saying everything is all better because every day seems to have a new set of challenges. Yet, here we are.  I could say that our faith has helped, and talk about the power of prayer. (Yes I am mentioning prayer a few sentences after mentioning manifesting, just move on).  However if I start down that path, we get into my complicated relationship with prayer, which inevitably leads to a discussion of calvinism, then we are dipping our toes in fatalistic predestination. 

What is my point?  It may be a cold December, but it IS December, and in a few short weeks, this mess of a year will be done, and over.  2026 will be here soon and with it, another 12 months of opportunity.  Maybe part of the charm of this season is the promise of renewal is just around the corner?  December holds the shortest day, the most darkness of the year, but it is also the turning point, after that, the nights start getting shorter and the days get longer and pretty soon it is spring.  

So even though this year has been dark, I am forever hopeful that next year will be better.