Before I Step Into 2026…

A gentle look back at the joy, grief, confusion, and growth that shaped 2025

This week I’ve been thinking about how this year is really coming to an end soon. We’ve almost made it through another 365 days of unexpected and brand new experiences.

Some of those days felt light.
Some felt fun.
Some felt like a breath of fresh air.

But there were also days that felt so heavy I wasn’t sure how I was going to lift them.

Anxiety showed up this year. Happiness showed up too. Confidence and self-doubt took turns sitting in the front seat. Wins and losses tapped in like tag-team partners.
Confusion pulled up uninvited. And both good finances and hard financial moments tried to test me.

But even with all of that I showed up. And God showed up with me. Honestly, there were days God showed up for me…standing in the gaps I didn’t even have the energy to fill. Covering me in moments I didn’t have words for. Protecting me in ways I didn’t fully understand until later.

2025 held so many things at once: silence, laughter, joy, pain, grief, growth, endings, and beginnings.

This year will forever hold its own unique memories. some I want to keep close, some I’m ready to release, and some I’m still learning how to make peace with.

And now… we’re getting closer to stepping off this ride. Breathing a little deeper. Stretching our shoulders after carrying so much.

I know 2026 will come with its own set of experiences. Its own lessons, its own softness, its own storms but before we jump ahead, I just want to reflect on the truth:

2025 has been one heck of a journey, and somehow, we made it through.

My prayer as we shift into a new year is simple:

I pray we remember the good things 2025 gave us, no matter how small. I pray we hold onto the lessons that stretched us without letting the pain define us. I pray we walk into 2026 with clearer eyes and a softer heart because of everything we lived through this year.

I pray for better financial management, so we can breathe easier. I pray for healthier friendships and relationships (the kind that feel safe, mutual, and steady). I pray we get closer to our loved ones, and even closer to ourselves. I pray we find work that pays us well and doesn’t drain our spirit. I pray we’re able to look at our own flaws without shame… just a willingness to grow. I pray that 2026 holds more joy, more peace, more rest, more ease, more clarity, and more alignment.

Most of all,
I pray we walk into 2026 happy, healthy, covered, and held.