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New Year Reflections: The Year of Being Gracious

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Well, Well, Well. 2026 Has certainly started off with a bang. I am already late for the first post of the year, and we are working on our 3rd snow day in a row off school and there is not a cloud in the sky. My chickens have not left the coop in weeks. They hate the snow. The rabbits and rats need cleaning. We have been hosting most of the holidays, and although we maintained throughout the season, for some reason our house fell apart in the last few days. There are empty boxes and doo dads and whatzits galore. Clean up has started, but it’s going to take a hot second.

Somehow, my #wordoftheyear seems grossly appropriate in light of the first week of January. We’ve had some strong feelings circulating around — things just seemed so “heavy” for a few family members. Let’s back track for a minute, though. Last year, 2025 was the year of “growth”. I failed again. I think. I couldn’t even remember what my word was… had to look it up. Our garden failed again. We made it through some milestones, but did we grow? I’m not sure. Realistically, I’m sure we did… but in a way that we focused on and purposed? Who knows anymore. So, it’s time for a new start.

Which brings us around to this year. 2026. I have reached the stage in my life where I am old enough to no longer be cool, yet old enough to not care if I am. We are grandparents. We are now “grandma’s house” where you go to visit rather than live. We will likely be empty nesters this year, as the youngest goes off to post secondary education. We are seeking to step aside a little and let the next generation begin to shine. I’m not as tech savvy as I used to be. I can’t keep up like I used to. My eyes are a little weaker and I am moving a little slower. Things are quieter. And that’s okay.

I have discovered that the next generation is so in tune with their mental health… and yet are struggling still. There is a fragility among them. And I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing. I’ve noticed that, especially since Covid years, people are more apt to say “no”. Rules of etiquette are wavering in the light of self preservation. Again, I can’t decide if this is good or bad. I’m caught in the world between “tsk tsking” the worship leader for wearing his baseball cap up front, and smiling at the little kid dancing down the aisles during candlelight service. I’m struggling to be kind at the grocery store to the young cashier, and fighting with online services who don’t have real people to call when there is a mix up — and there is always a mix up!

They are coming…don’t you worry!

In a world of A.I. and Amazon, I’m stuck with only a few tabs open — where others can flit between screens faster than I can Google how. I’m struggling, too, in the sandwich generation of keeping the peace. Although I see that according to the internet… I am even too old for that definition! And yes, I still use three dots to declare a break in thought! Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re not dead yet! We are going to try the garden — again. The spring chick orders have just come out… and you know I’ve looked at it! We are figuring out if we want to add goats and meat birds to Itsnotta farm. There are still pallets sitting in my (albeit snow covered) driveway. I want to learn how to refinish furniture this year. I need to clean and purge. I need to start doing Yoga again. Thirty years of marriage in 2026! That deserves a getaway, doesn’t it?

The grandbabies will come to the house and make us smile at all their new discoveries. We’ll have to ask for help now for things. We might do less while still doing more. Most of all, we will have to learn to be kind. Not to be stick-in-the-muds. To still try. To do it with wisdom, instead of narrow mindedness. To try and understand where the young moms are at in this fast paced society of constant change. Where the men who don’t know how to be men are at when the world is giving them conflicting views. Where the generation who has had everything handed to them still don’t know how to “adult”. And do it with a whole lot of grace. Originally, that was my word: grace. Although, with a bit of time, it’s merged from grace to gracious. That’s what I need to be in 2026. I love the internet’s overview:

“Gracious” means kind,courteous,and pleasant,showing politeness and good manners, often extending to others in a generous way, like a gracious host or a gracious acceptance of a compliment;

It can also describe a life of comfort and elegance (“gracious living”) *YES* or be used as an old-fashioned exclamation of surprise (e.g., “Good gracious!”).

Essentially, it implies charm, generosity of spirit, and thoughtful consideration, especially towards those in a lower position or in difficult situations.

Key Meanings:

  • Kind & Courteous: Friendly, polite, and showing good manners, even in tough spots.
  • Elegant & Comfortable: Suggests a lifestyle of luxury, ease, and good taste (e.g., “a gracious home”). *GOALS*
  • Merciful & Benevolent: Showing compassion or favour, often used for divine beings (“our gracious King”).
  • Exclamation: “Good gracious!” expresses surprise or mild shock.

So, there ya have it. 2026’s # wordoftheyear is “Gracious”… with the goal of embodying all of the above! Will you keep me accountable? Will you comment when posts come out that are not so gracious?! Focus. Focus. For now, though, I have to clean up my house! (lifestyle of luxury and ease, remember?) And hope that the family will be a little gracious to me for letting it get this way! Happy New Year, beloveds! See you soon…

The Beauty of Seasons of Change: Life Lessons

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Oh friends! It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks, and I am still not over it. Usually, I am a sucker for back to school week and do all the prep, cleaning, anticipating etc. etc. They say that September is the new January, and I am here for it… except I am not. Our kiddos are getting older, and only the youngest is left in her last year at high school. We bought 99 cent pencils and a couple of packs of post it notes. Oh – and a new pair of shoes. Not that she needed new shoes, but she got a new pair anyway. No more double pairs for indoor/outdoor shoes, no school lunch prep, no fancy backpack. I don’t think we even got up on the first day to see her off on the bus. We’re bad parents. We didn’t even do the back to the college dorm pics that all our peers are posting with their older teens. Our college kid is back, but doesn’t share much… so there’s that. I promise to send him with snacks. No real food or fancy twinkly lights, maybe clean bedding and a towel and soap. Ugh! What have I become, so far from the old days.

So unprepared for back to school this year. Oh well.

In fact, we pulled them out on the first week of school to go on a family holiday. Which was great! A tradition we started a few years ago to get away and re-connect as an extended family (which is growing considerably now). We hung out and stayed up way too late. Despite the very nice weekend, we came home to a devastating loss… three (yes, three!) of my beloved chickens were gone. We are assuming a coyote pack. No signs, no evidence, just three missing bodies. That means we only have three girls left. The dog was with us, which I think was a bad thing, because he is likely a slight deterrent to whatever predators are out there. Three! So sad. Still, this is the risk of free ranging, and I am thankful my sitter is a farm girl, and handled it beautifully. I’m sorry it happened on her watch. Sigh. I spent the rest of the week after returning home researching fencing for pygmy goats. It was therapeutic.

Then there is the house… it’s a mess. I suppose it always is after you go away. I have so many big plans. So little motivation. Not even that…. I have motivation, but I don’t know, time just gets away when you are scrolling Facebook Poultry Groups and goat breeders near me. Don’t tell the hubby… but maybe I am regretting the move to the country…. WAIT. No, I am not. I love it here. The neighbouring farmers are starting to harvest again, the dust is flowing, the days are getting cooler, farm fairs are starting to crop up, apples, pumpkin spice, sunflowers and sunsets on the lake. No, I love it here, it’s just a season I am going through.

A.I generated: I asked it to include PSL… in the headless sweater?! LOL. These are the days we are in, people. A Season of A.I. generated mysteries…. Jesus, take the Wheel!

Why do people say that? Enjoy the season you are in? I get that it’s a God thing too… He designed it for us: to ebb and flow as the seasons of the year do. I had a conversation with God about it the other night. I asked Him to give me something. Some hint about the direction for the next little while. He reminded me to draw close to Him. A time for everything. I’ve talked about it before. I’m just reminding myself to embrace it again. To embrace the changes. To anticipate something new and different. Maybe I need to dye my hair again. I’ve been thinking about getting older lately. Friends and family are retiring… or dying. Harsh as it seems, winter approaches quickly and you must go through that season… until spring and new life starts again. Poetic? Not really. Just reality.

However, I do not want this post to be a downer… I need it to be as much of an encouragement for you as it is for me. This season is lovely. Rosie, in fact. Comfort. Warmth. The storage of a good harvest to make it through the Winter cold. Preparation, perhaps. I need to get back to that one. Alright friends, let’s do this! Let’s put on our woolly sweaters, our Pumpkin spice in hand and smell the sunflowers (which don’t smell really, but you get the picture)! Let the dust of the harvest fly once again, my friends!

And if that self talk wasn’t good enough for you, here’s a few other links to motivate us both:

5 Ways to Pray for your Kids in the Back to School Season

Walking Through the Seasons of Life

Study Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

If I could Save Time in a Bottle

The Dual Nature of Floods: Devastation and Renewal

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A few weeks ago, I told you the hubby and I were visiting Montreal, and it was hot! Forty plus Celsius. On Sunday, we went to visit a family friend (and a faithful blog reader — he’s gonna be so excited I mentioned him :)) As we were enjoying his back porch, catching up on old times, the rains finally came in. And then it came down. Torrents of water filled the old Montreal streets and quickly overwhelmed the storm drains. Our friend received a call that his church basement was quickly flooding… so we all braved the downpour and headed over. We arrived to find the afternoon’s Spanish congregation mopping frantically. Amidst attempts at shuffling the lunch potluck and emptying mop buckets back out to the street, we managed to get the flood somewhat under control. I giggled when the Spanish guys tried to Google translate messages to me from Spanish to French when we all spoke English… but we made do, and with mostly hard work and a few shop vacs, got the floors mostly back to “normal”. They have a hard road ahead dealing with the municipalities and church government to plan for future floods.

Caution: Wet floors. Yep.

To make matters worse, after that few hours of soggy labour, we returned to our rented room to find wet throw rugs and puddles in our basement abode! It wasn’t a huge disaster, and although none of our belongings were affected, our host graciously discounted our time significantly for “our troubles”. As I dotted our room with slippery footprints, and hauled towels and throw rugs into the shower stall, I mused: God is still in control, but a little rain can easily change our circumstances. We build tall buildings and establish our roots, only to have them quickly washed away in major floods and mudslides.

We’ve watched a few documentaries about flooding. The news certainly shares its moments of this or that disaster and the rescue efforts in the wake of tsunami’s and flash floods. People have been swept away so suddenly; lives lost in a blink of an eye. Others loose everything but their lives. And then the aftermath. Clean ups hundreds of times the scale of our little church basement episode. Waterborne diseases and filth and mold, mud and … well, you get the picture. Water can be so life giving on one hand; we need it for our very survival, but so devastating at the same time.

Hurricane Katrina, Texas, Western Canada: Floods create Disaster

The great internet tells me that the most horrific flood in history was the 1931 floods in Yangtze, Yellow and Huai Rivers in China. The death toll was estimated between 1 million and 4 million people. God promised He would never send another world wide flood to destroy the Earth, but 4 million people is a significant dent. Plus the after effects of disease etc. Yeah, sobering thoughts. So, can floods, like wildfires, have benefits?

Again, the internet tells me flooding can replenish our groundwaters, wetlands and transport much needed micronutrients to the soil. Dry land, when flooded, can spark new growth or animal re-population. Much like the Biblical description of flourishing trees of abundant fruit, planted near streams and overflowing riverbanks, the water source once again revitalizes life.

Alas, what do we learn, my friend? I’m about to self talk because it’s been a tough week for me. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by a “flood” of things filling my mind with doubts and sadness. So, here we go:

  1. God is still in control and we can trust His promises.
  2. Tiny floods mean we need to work together to get the job done.
  3. Sometimes the rain is needed and is refreshing.
  4. Find your security. Don’t get swept away. Be prepared, for a time of flash flood can happen quickly, and catch you by surprise.
  5. When it is all over and the dry land once again appears, it will be in a state of replenishment, and new growth will result.

I am reminded of Ezekiel’s description of the flood waters flowing from the Temple in Chapter 47: with its many trees growing along its riverbank, for it makes the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh again, and there will be swarms of living things and life abundantly wherever this water flows. Be blessed and refreshed my beloveds.