Notes to Self 💌

Thoughts as 2024 ends and 2025 begins.

I love the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a time of reflection and looking forward, with low-expectations and a large dose of coziness. On New Year’s Eve, I sat down and made this list of Notes to Self, thinking about what I learned, did and thought about in 2024 that I want to carry into 2025. I wanted a way to mark the end of one year and beginning of another in this space, so I thought I’d share this. There’s a few book-ish nuggets, but mostly thoughts about life. I’d love to hear what “Notes to Self” you have from 2024.

Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash

🏠 Living with less makes everything easier. Don’t stop decluttering, but most importantly be careful about what you bring into your home.

🪦 We know not our times. Teach us to number our days, O Lord.

📖 You’ll carry pieces of these books inside of you for a while, if not for the rest of your life.

• How to Know a Person by David Brooks

• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

• Holiness Here by Karen Stiller

• Habits of the Household by Justin Earley

• Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament by Chris Wright

• Fully Alive by Elizabeth Oldfield

🤭 Laughter really is the best medicine.

🏊🏻 Water aerobics is, like, the best thing ever.

🤓 Reading for delight is a gift. Here were some of your delightful reads this year. The Juliet Tinley and Jonathan Darcy mysteries by Claudia Gray, Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn and Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford.

🌆 “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” —Kurt Vonnegut

🛒 Sam’s Club pick-up > Costco. I said what I said.

▪️ When it comes to parenting (and really life), this is a good mantra from Sarah MacKenzie that really shifted your perspective for the good: Do fewer things, as consistently as able, putting relationships first.

⚪️ Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.

🪴 But remember that quiet does not mean slothful or unambitious. Be content. Because godliness with contentment is indeed great gain.

🥖 Related, this is a good prayer: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Proverbs 30:8)

🔹 Regularly serving others, showing hospitality, and tracking your daily expenses are the greatest tools in curbing avarice and stewarding well what you’ve been given.

💸 Oh yeah, and I know saving retirement feels really abstract. But remember… You’re saving for retirement so that you have more freedom be with and help your family (hopefully when your kids are having kids), so that you can pursue other endeavors, so that you can give generously.

☕️ Ok, ok. Enough with the budget/money-adjacent talk. Try to drink less coffee and more tea this year. One cup of coffee is good! wonderful! spectacular even! Four cups of coffee makes you behave like an anxiety-ridden squirrel.

💕 Babies do make the world go round. And your new little fella made your family’s world go round in the best of ways.

🤱🏻 Motherhood can be liberation and children are a good idea.

🚸 And yet, children and family can’t carry the weight of all our hopes and dreams. Jesus can. Make it a habit to listen to his voice, read his word, live among his people and follow where he calls.

🌳 You didn’t spend enough time outside last year. It’s understandable that it wasn’t a priority, but try to do a different this year.

💯 A Kindle holder and remote are game changers. Also, that vacuum mop.

🧺 Laundry remains the thorn in your side. Hopefully, you’ll figure out a laundry routine this year. But don’t forget, even with the haphazard “system” this year, your family always had clean clothes and linens. No need to feel shame. Just find something that works.

🌌 Always look for the light, figuratively and literally (you’ll never regret yelling for your kids to “hurry, come look at the sunrise!!” through the kitchen window, ushering everyone to the porch to see the pink and purple sky in the morning, or stepping away from dinner prep to step outside and watch the setting sun illuminate the trees down the street.)

🪨 Keep picking up the stones over which you stumble, and build altars.

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What about you? What’s a note from yourself for yourself from this past year?