I’m not usually big on declaring one word for a year as part of my new year’s resolutions. Mostly because I’m too wordy in general and can’t help but to way overshare. Narrowing down to focus on one word for a whole entire year just seemed daunting.
As 2025 came to an end I of course reflected on this past year, analyzed my goals, and thought about what I would like to see in 2026. Surprisingly, one word came to mind: savor. Apologies if you thought this post was a homemade recipe for yummy pasta. I’m not your gal for cooking advice!
I do not have a crazy sweet tooth, and if given the choice I will always choose an appetizer over dessert. I’m more savory than sweet,, but if you ask my family they would more likely describe me as no sugar, all spice, and certainly not nice.
Savory food was not what I had in mind though when “savor” kept bubbling around as I envisioned 2026. I mean, yes, I want to enjoy every bite of tasty food, but mostly I just want to soak up all the tiny moments that get overlooked far too often. I want to savor every time my son wraps his arms around me and snuggles tight. I want to rest in each kiss from my husband. I want to make the most of the time with my little family as much as humanly possible.
In 2025, I think my word would have been “survive.” Not because of my baby becoming a toddler, or adapting to becoming a mommy, but mostly due to experiencing so much change and loss at the end of 2024. I felt like I was keeping my head above water. However, I do feel like I enjoyed the time with my boy, despite all the chaos around me. He was about the only bright spot in the midst of a turbulent year.
I miss my mawmaw deeply and terribly. On top of her being gone, I thought we might lose my pawpaw too at several times throughout the year due to his health. Praise God he is still here though!!! My mama also had a pretty big health scare and it consumed our summer, leading us down some scary paths. Praise Jesus we are out of that and she is okay!!
Those are just a couple of the trying heartbreaks from 2025.
I watched my newborn baby morph into a toddler in what seemed like such a SHORT span of time. So many firsts throughout 2025 and I did my best to catalog them all while my heart grieved heavily. Much of the year felt dark and unknown, and finding moments of happy outside of the baby bubble had been fairly difficult. So 2025’s word was definitely “survive,” I’d say.
So, with a deep exhale, I’m looking to 2026 with the word savor at the front of mind. I wish to enjoy and invoke joy in all the moments I can. I’m striving to search out every beautiful thing I can find and make the most of it. I possess a strong desire to create magic in my household and revel in each smile and giggle. I know there will be sadness and tears mixed in throughout the year, but I pray they are super small compared to the overwhelming joy that Jesus brings to our lives.
I’m not trying to label 2025 as a trash year in our household. It was certainly not all dark. It was also really beautiful too in spite of the hard parts. I exceeded my goal of books read, and I finally began working out more in the last couple months like I wanted to all year. I was three shy of my goal in publishing blog posts, and I have hardly worked at all on my next book, but that’s okay. I survived and certainly tried. Progress was made in some areas while others just need a bit more time to grow and flourish.
With how intently I tried to soak up every change throughout the baby to toddler stage, I hope to keep savoring each milestone for my son in 2026 as well. I love learning new things about him and what he finds funny. He is smart and growing so fast, and we don’t want to miss a single thing.
We can’t slow down time any more than we can hurry it up. So, if I can’t hit pause on these days while my baby is toddling around then we will just have to make the most of them. We will choose to savor each day of 2026, and rejoice in the blessings God has given us, no matter what may come our way. Happy New Year!!
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Mirror, Mirror 