Welcome 2026!

2025 was quite a year! I was intent on making up for what felt like too much lost time.

Happy New Year

My accident took nearly a year for physical healing, and another year for emotional healing. Layered on top of that were personal upheavals that went along with moving from New Hampshire to Florida—leaving our farm meant ending the era of caring for many animals. I left behind my dreams, the land, loved ones, and the comforts of “home.” I didn’t fully understand those losses until everything in Florida fell apart.

The accident cost me my livelihood, parts of my physical self, and caused much emotional strain. New friendships emerged as others fizzled. I saw that when you leave places or people, you can’t simply “go back.” When you do, it’s often not the same. Life is constantly shifting. Like the plates hidden beneath the earth, our worlds are forever in movement – some hidden and some not.

But in all that shifting, I learned a great deal about my relationship to the world around and within me. That season led me back to my faith. I now have a foundation so firm I can’t imagine life without it. That would not have happened if I hadn’t experienced so much loss.

The spiritual growth was worth taking a chance on something new, even if it was a bit scary.

With the losses, much was gained.

Scripture says God does new things in us. Well, I have lived that truth. God truly can make things new.

Spiritual growth takes time, intention, and persistent digging. Our paths aren’t cleared for

 us before we get there. Understanding and embracing the supernatural things of spirit and

soul takes intentionality.

Spiritual study is a path I started down after 9/11, trying to make sense of the madness that had unfolded. My steps were jagged at first - I stopped and started over and over. I didn’t become consistent until the tail end of our farm life – reading, journaling, attending different services and lectures, listening to podcasts, and so on. But on the day of my accident… even before I got on that horse, my path, in hindsight, became unmistakably clear.

Every January, I take ample time to reflect and reassess. I identify what has worked and what has not. What has invigorated me and what has drained me. I have learned to let go of what needs to be released, and to make note of where I need more gratitude. And I set intentions on where I need to do serious work.

Truth be told, things don’t always go as I’d hope. Some of my intentions have been the same for years. But I stay mindful and honest about where I need to do the work.

I’m grateful for everything I experienced last year. I had incredible adventures. A day on the Snake River in Idaho, being an extra on The Chosen, seeing a childhood friend, and a family reunion of sorts all filled my heart. I made memories I’ll cherish forever.  

The biggest takeaway was the difference between being expectant and being hopeful. Many expectations I had turned out to be lessons. Thoughts of grandeur manifested in ways that let me down and opened my eyes to the difference between expecting something and being hopeful for it. With hope, you can have joy. And that joy can remain despite the outcome. Expectations, well, they often end in disappointment. A valuable lesson learned.

I’ve learned that kids can make even watching the clock fun. That joy hides in the smallest moments if you’re willing to notice. People change, things change, and the world changes, yes. Yet, a thread of love, gratitude, and respect can run through everything if we truly put forth the effort.

Letting go of things that no longer work is like opening your hands to free a bird that’s been gripped too tightly. It has the power to lighten you spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

I’ve learned what matters most - connections strengthened in shared experiences, building on love, and lifting the energy around and within our world. I am striving to build a spiritual bridge between my soul and those I love and encounter. And while I may not have a clear image of where my soul is headed, I have confidence in the destination because I know it is a place of peace.

This year, I’m letting the things that were released fade with love. I’m storing lessons like files in my soul’s archive. I’m stepping into 2026 with the intention to bring my best, both to myself and the people around me, and to follow wherever the light leads. My hope is that I can help make things brighter, so someone who may be standing in the dark can start to find their way out. And I hope that my words can help others find a light to guide them on their own path.