Twilight descends over a white blanket, painting the world in shades of blue, causing the brilliant sparkle of light spilling out of windows to shine just a bit brighter. Some may discount winter for its long dark days, but the beauty of an evening in winter still makes me catch my breath. There is such a peaceful stillness – the very air seems full of whispers of calm. Evenings like these were made for reflection, for pausing to enjoy, to look forward and backward and inward. And so, as this new year starts and as these evenings full of glowing lights call for inward reflection to find that which will be a light to your own soul, join me in pondering. Take a moment to make a cup of tea and put the phone down. Savor these moments that make up your life.

I am full of excitement for this year, it holds new jobs, new house projects, and even a new pet. But even as I look forward, it can be easy to be burdened by all the plans, my fears of failure, or of not meeting expectations. Amid the list of things I want to do, I cannot lose sight of what really matters; that my identity is not in what I accomplish, not how many pieces of art I sell or how many likes I get, nor in how well my blog does. For I am loved by someone who knows me fully and doesn’t value me by those things. He simply values me. And I get the opportunity to share that with others, to reflect that kind of love. That is what I want my year to be marked with. Yes, goals of things to do are not bad, but I must remember in the midst to be interruptible; to open my home and heart to others and to give generously of my gifts and time. So, in the midst of the happenings, the good and bad of this year, I hope to grow in that – to be a truly generous person with eyes focused on those around me and not on my internal lists of accomplishments, that I might be like a light shining on a winter’s eve.