It’s been a while. It’s been so long in fact that it’s made coming back a little harder, but as they say ‘life happens’. During the busy-ness of the holiday season, I always experience a level of grief and heaviness this time of year. Actually, I can’t say ‘always’. I’ve been fortunate, blessed, and even sheltered in a way that I made it to adulthood before having my first real loss. But it seems once the losses started, they seem to hit primarily at the holidays – first, with my husband’s young sister, then his grandfather, then two of my grandparents before my other two grandparents and a miscarriage. The loss seems to compound through the holidays, and it seems each year feels a bit heavier. This holiday season was no different as I received a call just after Christmas that I had lost an uncle, and while we were waiting to hear updates on the arrangements, we received another call that my husband had lost an aunt out of state. Dealing with the familiar heaviness in addition to our recent losses, we traveled out of state for a funeral, came back home to pink eye and colds, and it has just been a lot.

But all of that to say, while each holiday season seems to feel heavy, I continue to look forward to the New Year. Each January, I like to take time to reflect on a word for the year. In year’s past I’ve focused on kindness, joy, happiness, and thoughtfulness. I take inspiration from the word in order to attempt to make that my focus for the new year. As I was looking for inspiration this year, I stumbled onto this Craig D. Lounsbrough quote. And while it’s more than a word, it sums up my 2023 and goals for going into 2024.

For me, it wasn’t just the holiday season last year, 2023 couldn’t have ended soon enough. It seemed like I was a different person. The struggles I faced felt unfair (I know. Plenty of folks have it far worse and are going through extraordinarily more tragic things than what I faced in 2023. But while I was in it, it felt hard.) I’m grateful to see 2023 come to an end, and even more grateful for the chance at 2024. Lounsrough makes a great point that without the learning opportunities or mistakes of yesterday, there’s nothing to learn from. No course correct for tomorrow.

Are you a New Year resolution person? Do you set goals for the new year? Here’s to a Happy 2024, friends. It feels good to be back.