Well, friends, we made it! 2022 is here and frankly, I’m not sad to see 2021 leave. As I hung a new calendar on the wall on January 1st, I was reminded how much I love a blank slate with new possibilities on the horizon.
I always pick a word of the year but admittedly, I almost never follow through with it. If you don’t know by now, I’m really good at starting things but not so great at finishing them. I wish I were better but I’m just not, and I guess after 46 years, I need to accept the way I am.
I did purchase a new planner in December – the Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt – and so far I’m loving it. It’s helping me keep track of some bigger dreams by breaking them down into smaller steps so I’m hopeful by the end of the year, I will have met some of my personal and professional goals.
And I did pick a word of the year again. As I talked through some things with the Lord, I kept hearing one word over and over.
I love the idea of celebration. Doesn’t everyone? I see others celebrating big and little things with their children and families and I want to be like them. But it never fails that birthdays and big events slip up on me, even though they come around every year. In fact, I was just texting with a friend about this very thing. It’s so hard for me to think ahead when I’m mostly surviving the day-to-day activities of having four children and a full time job.
But I want this year to be different.
I want to celebrate those around me so that they feel loved.
As I was thinking through the word celebrate, I came across a scripture that caught my attention.
“The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3 NIV
As Christians, we need to remember all the things God has done for us. Even in the difficult times, we can find one or two things to be grateful for. And those things should fill us with joy; they should lift us up and carry us through the hard things.
Because there will be hard things.
But even during times of sorrow or frustration or disappointment, we can still choose to celebrate. We can still choose joy.
Enjoy a few pictures from our low-key New Year’s Eve celebration!
What about you – do you get excited about the start of a new year or is it just a continuance of the year before?
Do you make goals?
Do you have a word of the year?
What are your routines when it comes to a new year?