We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 NLT

Dear Friend,

I have a challenge for you as we close out this year.

How much time do you take for reflection? It isn’t part of our culture at all, is it? Go, go, go! Do more and do it faster! Make more money! Have more impact! Be more efficient! What if the more you are looking for is really about becoming who you want to be, who you were designed to be?

Here is my challenge: In these last few days of the year take time to stop, ponder, and determine what you want for next year.

To help you meet that challenge, I’m giving you some questions to jumpstart your reflection. Let them stir grief if needed, inspire celebration, and ignite desire for the new year. If you journal, have your pen nearby to jot down some thoughts.

What were your favorite moments from this past year?

What is a word or phrase that best describes this year?

What word or phrase would you like to describe next year?

What was your most meaningful accomplishment this year?

Where do you see the most growth in yourself?

What losses do you need to grieve over? How do you want to mark those losses?

What do you want to leave behind when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st?

What do you want to take with you into the new year?

What new attitudes or habits do you want to develop starting January 1st?

What are three things that you’d like to be celebrating this time next year?

What one area do you want to focus on for growth in the new year?

What do you want to be different about you this time next year?

Who are you most grateful for? How do you want to express to them what they mean to you?

How do you want to improve your most significant relationships this year? What will you do to improve them?

Dear Friend, don’t let this year end without taking time to reflect. Intentionality starts with introspection. Don’t just let this year pass. Celebrate what was. Acknowledge what wasn’t. And determine what you would like to see in the future. Enter 2024 with intention and purpose.

I wish you a New Year of possibility. Discover your MORE in 2024!

Much love,

Cathleen

P.S. I’d love to be a thought partner to help on your journey. My gift to you is a complimentary coaching conversation. Use this link to schedule an appointment. Blessings and Happy New Year!

September 12, 2026

This is Not Forever

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

As I tearfully opened the sodden boxes of our stored belongings, wondering what was ruined, a verse came to mind,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

We were temporarily living with my parents, and our stuff was stored in Tom’s parents' garage. They had a plumbing issue in their bathroom above the garage, causing a leak that soaked several of our boxes and other items, including our mattress. We weren’t sure what was salvageable.

That period of time was already difficult. We were waiting for a job to open up and unsure how long that would take, how long we would be living with my parents, how long our stuff would be stored. Both sets of parents had been patient, loving, and gracious. There was no one to blame for the water damage. Sometimes things just happen.

But when that verse popped into my brain, it completely changed my perspective on going through the damage. The tears didn’t stop. There was some mourning and disappointment. But at the same time, there was hope. This was temporary. These things were just things. What really mattered was how I responded. I could choose an eternal perspective. I could choose to treasure Christ more than an earthly possession.

As it turned out, very few of our things were unsalvageable, and insurance more than covered anything that was lost. But the eternal perspective I gained is a treasure that I still carry. That simple shift helped me through the three and a half years of living in the in-between.