December 31 welcomed me in silence. I opened my journal for my year-end ritual of what I call harvesting my journal. I slowly reread and reviewed the past year, making note of patterns, highlights, growths, lessons, wisdoms and the many points where I should have known better. Often I smile. Sometimes I cry. Usually, I feel God’s presence as we walk together reflecting on the past 12 months.
This year my imagination felt as if I was given a beautiful basket and was invited into a large open meadow. We slowly gathered an array of flowers, different sizes and colors. Soon my basket overflowed with memories and my heart with gratitude for all 2025 provided. Some flowers though brought thorns that jabbed my fingers and reopened wounds again. But in the end, I held the most delightful exquisite bouquet you could imagine. What a sight to behold.
I heard God whisper, “Slow down. Don’t rush through this liminal time from one year to the next.”
And I will obey this call. I will savor the threshold of January, this grey misty month of in-between where I stand on the edge of the meadow, grateful for this full basket. Soon I will set the bouquet down so my hands will be empty and open to receive what may appear in the next year. But for right now, I am grateful for the gifts, the beautiful ones and even the thorny ones, from 2025. Thank you, Lord.
I love this basket of flowers metaphor, Jean. Such a lovely practice you have. I started out last year with high hopes of going through a lot of my old journals, but after a few months, I stalled. Maybe I can find new momentum again this year?
The gathering idea slowed me down and taught me to linger for awhile. No rushing into all my to dos and get it done things. Savor the time right here and now. I come and go too with my old journals. I think it is just a slow process. Maybe we can learn more taking a time with old journals too?
You’ve reminded me of a poem by Tara Afriat that I included in a blog post back in 2019 (https://nancyaruegg.com/2019/04/11/flowers-in-my-mind/). Although I contemplated several varieties of such flowers, memories and musings over the year weren’t among them! You’ve made a good case, Jean, to consider now and then where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and what progress we’ve made.
oooo Nancy that poem is perfect and exactly how i feel. savoring this moment in time, lingering, meandering. enjoying…