Good question

Goodbye 2025 and hello 2026. Like every year, it takes a little bit to get used to saying and writing out the new date.

I do not know about you, but I certainly needed a reset after a bumpy ending to 2025. Like most years, last year was filled with many high points and great memories, but also a couple of less fortunate events.

Watching our kids grow and learn more about the world around them is always fascinating. Our youngest, Madison, is walking now and starting to become more independent. That gives me a few minutes of free time for not holding and playing with her constantly. Allison started school and is all about learning and practicing her numbers and letters, and she is constantly asking what time and day of the week it is. Carson’s speech is a lot clearer, and it is a lot easier to talk with him. He is also asking when he can start school so that he can be just like his big sister.

The older two ask about 146 questions a day about what and why things are the way they are. Most of the time, I can answer their questions about facts of life, such as “Why do the leaves fall from the trees?” “Why is it so dark outside, but it is not bedtime yet?” and “When will it be springtime?”

Some questions make me stop and think for a second, such as when they asked, “What happens to the worms in the ground when it snows?” I can usually respond with something satisfactory, such as “They are hibernating and taking a long nap until it warms up again,” or “God made it that way because he made everything.”

Sometimes, they ask questions that I do not know the answer to, which I either defer to Jason or say, “I will have to look that up for you.”

Sometimes, I cannot look up the answer to their question in a book, on the internet, or by asking another person.

Right after Christmas, we had someone in our extended family die unexpectedly. We had another funeral in early December as well. It took a while for us to accept and understand the “why” ourselves before we could explain it to our kids. We may not always have the answers or understand the “why” in God’s decision-making process, but he has a plan, and we are just here to enjoy our time on earth while we can.

The person who passed away was such a good man. He was never the CEO of a company, never traveled the world, never made the front cover of a magazine, never struck it rich (in monetary ways). However, he was rich in his faith, family and friendships. The funeral was probably the largest funeral I had ever been to, and people waited in line for hours to pay their respects during the wake, which went way past the scheduled ending time.

While we still are learning to move on without this person, we know he is in a better place. Jason and I have both said to each other that we are so thankful to have our faith to guide us; without it, I do not know how it would have affected us. We know that everything is in God’s hands. Our time in this life is only temporary, and if we believe in him, we will have eternal life and will be able to see our loved ones once again.

So, this year and every year, I will take every opportunity to live life to the fullest and give all my family and friends a hug every chance I get; you never know when it will be the last.