As I sit with my cup of coffee admiring a view of the snowcapped Mount Hood, I’m thinking about this season and this week of Advent. On the Christian calendar, Advent is a four-week period that prepares us for Christ’s birth where we spend time in reflection, and prayer, anticipating the great celebration on Christmas Day. Each Sunday we highlight a theme; hope, peace, joy and love. And the focus this week is on joy. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light that came into the world, this is a great time to stop and reflect on all of the blessings 2025 has given us. Perhaps there were some hard, challenging things that happened, but it would be helpful to recall the joy we experienced and carry that into the New Year. Thinking about this past year, I am reflecting on all of the joy the year has brought and celebrating those moments.
Last month I talked about the importance of building a habit of thanksgiving. This month I’d like to focus on developing a habit of celebration. Thinking back over the year here are some things you might have celebrated:
- Holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day or Veterans Day
- A birthday, graduation, anniversary or the birth of a child
- A new job, a promotion, or moving into a new house
These are just a few great reasons to celebrate. What else do you have to celebrate in 2025? What about things that might not be so obvious. For example:
- Answers to prayer
- A dream that has come true
- Spending time with family and friends
When you think of all of these things, don’t they put a smile on your face? When we reflect on great moments that we celebrated, it helps us through the tough times. These memories help us to bounce back and find joy.
And how do we celebrate? Celebration generally involves doing things that give us pleasure – getting together with people we love, eating, dancing, and singing. Spiritual celebration means reflecting on the wonderful God who has given us such great gifts. When we celebrate, we exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gifts of God. And our capacity for joy increases.
Back in my September newsletter I shared with you that I took a break from my newsletter and social media for a while to focus on a project and that I would share it with you. Did you ever have a dream, something you’ve always wanted to do? But try as hard as you can, you couldn’t get started? I’m happy to share that I have been working on a book. I spent a good part of the year working with a writing coach who is fantastic. She helped me to craft my nonfiction book proposal, and gives me wonderful advice and encouragement. We pitched the proposal to several agents, and I signed with an agent just before Thanksgiving! My agent will be pitching my book to publishers in the coming months. This is just the beginning of my journey to become a published author. There’s a lot that has to happen still, but I’m looking forward to sharing updates along the way. I am excited to share more details as I can with my newsletter community.
As I reflect, this is a dream that I’ve had for a long time. I would try to write, get stuck and give up. Only in the past year has it started to become a reality. So today I’m filled with joy and celebrating:
- God for an answer to prayer
- My writing coach
- Not being stuck or giving up
- My husband, and family for their prayers and support
- The start of a dream coming true!
I’d like to encourage you to grab your favorite cozy chair and a cup of coffee or tea, take out your journal, and reflect on all you have to celebrate about 2025. Reflecting and celebrating the past helps us find joy. And with that joy, start dreaming of things you’d like to see happen in 2026. I pray this inspires you to discover more ways to celebrate in 2026.
Wishing you peace and joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas!
