When You Want to Remember the Year
December 29, 2015
I love this time of year, this in-between after the gifts are opened and before the ball drops. It’s a time of reflection, of remembering, of rejoicing. It’s a time where I look back at how far I’ve come and cast vision for where I hope to soon be.
I look back and take stock. I note the lessons learned, I recall the struggles and celebrate the victories, I track the growth. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t let a new year come without fully digesting the old one. They come so quickly, these firsts of January, and I don’t want to rush through it carelessly.
I’ve never been a fan of parties on New Year’s Eve, and I can always be found under a cozy blanket with my journal instead. I love writing out everything I can remember from the past year, but this year, I want to be even more intentional with my reflections. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to do that well, and I want to share with you, too.
HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU REFLECT ON THE YEAR GONE BY:
- What were your biggest wins this year?
- What broke your heart or left you scarred?
- Who were the ones you couldn’t have done this year without? What did they bring to your life?
- What didn’t go as you had planned this past year?
- What places were meaningful to you this year?
- How did you feel about God this year? What was your relationship with Him like?
- What music, books, art, movies, or other media made an impact on you this year?
- What are the big themes from this year that you want to remember?
- What little memories do you want to hold on to?
- How are you different now at the end of 2015 than you were in the beginning?
May these questions be a helpful guide as you think or write about 2015 in preparation for a coming new year. May the remembering remind you that you have been brave, you have grown, you have learned, you have conquered.