A Blank Calendar: Musings on the New Year

I wasn't planning to stay up until midnight to ring in 2021, but my teething, sleep-regressing baby had other plans. While I do like getting to enjoy our Christmas tree in the quiet hours of the late night and early morning, the abundant touch from an infant and the lack of sleep is not my favorite. But, I bought a bunch of coffee beans today, I'm thoroughly sugared-up on Christmas chocolate, and God is merciful. Thanks to the sleep deprivation and a lack of motivation brought on by Christmas vacation, here's a peek into my scattered thoughts as the new year begins. 

After we returned from a short trip out of state 
to see family, one of our neighbors showed up with this beautiful
poinsettia. I am so grateful for our wonderful neighbors!

A steady drip drip drip of water is plunging off the roof to fall onto the snow-covered ground. Our tiny Christmas tree brings holiday cheer into a living room that is cluttered with the aftermath of unpacking and presents. Across the room, I see the fresh calendar that hangs on our wall. A month of (mostly) blank boxes offers hope, promise. After the [insert adjective of your choosing] year that was 2020, I'm sure we are all more than ready for a fresh start. Yes, we're still in a pandemic, and yes, we're still suffering from a deeply divided political climate, but there is always hope. 

We are still fully in the Christmas season over here, and as I contemplate the Baby Jesus figurine in our nativity--and as I see the Wise Men that my children have pulled out in anticipation of the Epiphany tomorrow--I am filled hope. I am sure that challenges will come this year, but God is with us. I don't know what this year will look like, and I am very hesitant to make concrete plans, but I am excited about the possibilities! 

I've been feeling a little restless, and I have an itch to try something new. I haven't been blogging quite as much as I'd like to, so perhaps I'll dive in here more often. A couple years ago, I thought about starting a newsletter for this blog, but that didn't go anywhere. I might actually do that this year, though I still have to finalize some logistics. I'm also thinking about moving to a new platform, though the idea of stepping off Blogger to try something different after nearly 10 years is somewhat terrifying. 

I'm still working on a book proposal, which has been a fun project. I sent it to a few places in 2020 and received some positive feedback in a rejection e-mail from an editor, which was exciting. I closed out 2020 by reading The Art of Spiritual Writing, by Vinita Hampton Wright (SO GOOD!), and am now going to seriously revise my work even further before sending it out to a few more places. If none of those work out, then I'll give myself permission to take a break and jump into other creative writing projects that are bouncing around in my mind. 

I'll have brief moments when I question everything and wonder if I should be doing anything drastically different in writing, blogging, homeschooling, or homemaking. But then I remind myself that I'm only 27 years old (I'll turn 28 later this month), and I don't need to "do it all." It's a conversation I frequently have with myself (and with my husband, and with God). 

In 2020, I read 126 books, and it was such a fun adventure! I got to read many books that I had wanted to pick up for years, and it was such a treat to finally sit down with them. Every year, I have the vague intention to "read fewer new books and re-read fabulous books I haven't touched in a while"...but then I walk into the library, see ALL the books, and decide to read a bunch of new-to-me titles. I don't know what my reading will look like this year, but I would like to re-read some excellent novels that are sitting on my shelves...we'll just have to see how strong my resolve is! 

I hope you all have a blessed and peaceful beginning to this new year!