An Unpolished Year-End Reflection
Choosing Presence Over Pressure
Life is made up of moments—some small and some significant. Some pass unnoticed. Others divide time into before and after. For my family and me, 2025 held both kinds.
The moment I didn’t know if my husband would make it through the night after a horrible accident.
The moment, while we were teaching our daughter Liar’s Uno (a house-rule remix of a classic card game), when her eyes lit up with understanding.
The moment my husband and I put the final touches on our photo Christmas card and newsletter combo, realizing how much of our real selves it held.
Like almost everyone, we survived a crazy year. Not gracefully. Not heroically. Just honestly.
For the last five years or so, I’ve opted to forego the mundane resolutions and haven’t done goal-setting exercises in at least that amount of time. What initially felt shameful, like I was refusing to play a game everyone else had agreed to, has colored and shaped the past few years.
A word of the year for 2026? No pressure. And yet…it chose me.
This year I’m going to focus on moments.
Why? Because moments…
They shape us.
They are memorable.
They change lives.
They arrive without asking permission.
They leave without waiting for us to be ready.
The next time you experience a moment, remember that it’s life’s real currency. These are what memories and seasons are made of. Take the time to be grateful, even when the moment feels heavy or unfinished.
Together, these moments are shaping you. 🫶🏼