Obstacles are our wings.~ Nikolai Gogol

There are only a few hours left in 2025. I didn't think I'd post before the page turned over to the next chapter in 2026. But as I walked to the mailbox, the sky shone with threads of the last light of dusk, and my heart swelled with the anticipation of the new year. The horizon smudged with lavender and gray, the moon a golden orb. Who wouldn't be overwhelmed with joy on such a glorious evening?

I look back on 2025 and ask, "What can I take from this year to the next?" I wrote this a few days ago in my journal:

I’m like a train freighted with all my humanity—self-doubt, failings, longings, what I’m ashamed of, dreams I’ve buried, and my need to forgive and be forgiven. Yet the Holy Trinity bursts through my frailties and provides faith to believe there is hope and power amidst the poignancy of life. Jesus invites me to enjoy and receive His presence and affection, His finished work. The goodness of the Father enables my ability to trust Him, even when I have no idea what to make of my days this side of the Kingdom. I want to remember to keep seeking the hallowed mystery in what I fear and what I love. To remind myself that what I determine to be obstacles are often my wings.

I know that you delight to set your truth deep in my spirit. 

So come into the hidden places of my heart and teach me wisdom.

Create a new clean heart within me.

Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you. ~ Psalm 50: 6,10 (From The Passion Bible)

I will return to the site in the first quarter of 2026. Thank you for your love and constancy, dear readers. Happy New Year!