Packing up 2025 — welcoming 2026

Well, it turns out that another year has come and gone. Ready or not, here

comes 2026. I’ll go ahead and say the quiet part out loud. 2025 may not have been the

best year for everyone. 2025 was a year filled with turmoil and division. However, 2025

may have been a year that can springboard us forward. We were given opportunities

that we could learn and grow from in the past years. And not just as an individual, but as

a community as well. More on this in a bit.

2025 was a year of change for me. I decided that the year I would turn 40 was a

great year to go back to school. I enrolled at Luther Seminary without a real end goal in

mind but knowing that if I wanted to see the world as a better place, it needed to start

with me. This year had also led me to First Lutheran Church in Volga as their Children,

Youth, and Family Minister. This year has also led me to write for all of you (Thanks

Josh!). But one thing this year hasn’t done for me is to give me more time.

This brings us back to the opportunities to learn and grow. It’s the time of year

when we make our resolutions to do something different this next year. Maybe it’s going

to the gym. Maybe it’s to eat less fast food and more home-made meals. It seems like

most of the time we reach for a lofty goal and fall short. This year I decided on a

resolution that will cost me no more money and can be attained as long as I put in the

effort. That goal is to be more intentional.

Being intentional is a mindset. It takes planning and effort. It requires a person to

dig deep and decide what matters in life. Our life is crazy. Between school, the church,

kids’ activities, and time with my family, there just isn’t enough hours in the day. This is

where the intention comes in. How do I prioritize my time so that I can give each aspect

of my life proper attention? That’s what I will work on and try to figure out this year.

Being intentional is something we can work on as a community as well. We as a

collective need to find what matters and find ways to make sure we make time for those

things. Being intentional shows your kids what matters in life too. Instead of kids seeing

us doom scrolling and responding to trolls on social media, what should they see us

doing? Maybe it’s simply reading a book or interacting with them. Perhaps its

volunteering time or spending more time with God.

As we end 2025, I look back at the good and the bad of the year. I am thankful

for the opportunities that I was given. I am thankful for the nudges from the Holy Spirit to

get to work. I am optimistic for 2026. It will be a good year. And if we can all share in

that mindset as a community, it will be. We need each other. Be intentional, be informed,

be present.

Blessings to you and yours as we embark on a new year!