It’s interesting how memory works.
Over the holidays, I did a mental recap of 2025. At the time, I had decided that while 2025 had some good moments, it just wasn’t an overall good year.
The main reason it felt stalled was work. It felt like our church stalled this year, and there were too many steps backwards rather than forwards. And there were other things that were frustrating to me. So I concluded that it just wasn’t a good year.
But it turns out I was wrong.
(To be fair, I did the mental recap while shoveling snow back in Canada for my in-laws so that might also be why I came to the wrong conclusion.)
I checked the data. I scrolled back through my photos to see what I might be forgetting about the year. It turns out there was a lot more good in 2025 than I initially remembered.
- I met several online friends in person for the first time in Pittsburgh. What had started online had became real friendships, and it was great to connect with people IRL. That mattered more than I expected.
- At the time, we didn’t have a lot of spare cash for a long summer getaway but we did have some amazing trips, including a visit to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum where we had a celebrity sighting; Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame! We also got to see Weird Al Yankovic live at Wolf Trap, one of Josh’s highlights (but not the biggest one).
- I had the privilege of officiating my nephew’s wedding back in Canada.
- Late in the year Krista dealt with a basal cell carcinoma diagnosis. We are thankful that it was able to be removed, and that this type of cancer is very rarely metastatic. While going through this isn’t a highlight, the outcome certainly is. I’m very thankful for the outcome.
- Over Thanksgiving and the holidays, I decided to get a leadership coach. I simply need to be better at leading others and have better outcomes in planning and execution. It was humbling to admit I needed help, but so freeing.
But one of the biggest highlights for me personally???
We received an unexpected financial windfall that changed our future.
- We paid off all debt excluding our mortgage. Debt free is such an amazing feeling!
- Josh and I were able to attend Game 6 of the World Series personally in Toronto. (The Jays didn’t win that game or the series, and that still hurts to think about.) We never would have done this without a massive change in our financial situation.
- We bought a second car without needing a loan.
- We passed it on by giving to our favorite ministries and “no strings attached” gifts to some friends in ministry. We were blessed and we wanted to share that blessing.
So maybe I should not make final judgments about an entire year while shoveling snow in Canada.
Looking back, 2025 was not as bad as it initially felt. It held more good than I gave it credit for. And that’s just the photo memories! I’m glad I did a deeper dive into the photo data.
I’m glad I was wrong. Here’s to 2025!