CMO 107: “Looking Back at 2025 — And What I’m Hoping For in 2026”

 

There’s something sacred about pausing at the end of a year — especially when you’ve lived enough life to appreciate the quiet moments as much as the loud ones. As a Baby Boomer, I’ve learned that reflection isn’t just nostalgia; it’s a way of honoring the journey, acknowledging God’s faithfulness, and preparing my heart for what comes next.

So today, I’m sitting down with a cup of coffee and giving myself permission to look back on 2025 with honesty, gratitude, and a little humor… and to look ahead to 2026 with hope, intention, and a childlike spirit.

This journal entry is my way of capturing the lessons, the shifts, the surprises, and the quiet graces that shaped me this year — and the dreams I’m carrying into the next.

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Insert Intro

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December 27, 2025—Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dear Journal:

Today I am sitting here with a warm cup of coffee, the kind that fills the room with a soft, comforting aroma, and I am thinking about the year that is almost behind me. 2025. What a year. Not loud. Not dramatic. But deeply shaping in ways I didn’t expect.

Maybe it is a Baby Boomer thing — this instinct to look back before looking forward. We have lived through so many eras, so many cultural shifts, so many reinventions of the world around us. Sometimes I feel like I have lived five lifetimes already. And yet here I am, still learning, still growing, still being stretched by God in ways that surprise me.

As I look back on 2025, I see a year of quiet shifts, the kind that don’t announce themselves but settle into your spirit like a gentle whisper. It was a year of slowing down, of re‑evaluating what matters, of letting go of old expectations I didn’t even realize I was still carrying. It was a year of learning to be gentle with myself — something I’m still not great at, but I’m getting there.

I think about how we Boomers were raised. We were taught to push through, to be strong, to keep going no matter what. But 2025 taught me something different. It taught me that strength sometimes looks like rest. Sometimes it looks like asking for help. Sometimes it looks like letting God carry what I can’t. And honestly, that realization alone was worth the whole year.

As I reflect, a few lessons rise to the surface — lessons I want to carry with me into 2026.

Lesson 1: Slowing down is not falling behind. This one hit me hard. I’ve always been a doer, a builder, a creator. But slowing down helped me see more clearly. It helped me notice the people around me. It helped me hear God’s whisper again.

Lesson 2: Relationships matter more than routines. I reconnected with people this year — old friends, family, folks I hadn’t talked to in ages. And every conversation reminded me that connection is the real currency of life.

Lesson 3: You’re never too old to grow. 2025 stretched me spiritually, emotionally, creatively. I learned new things. Tried new things. Let go of old things. Growth doesn’t stop at 30, 50, or 70. It stops when we stop saying yes.

Lesson 4: God is faithful in the quiet seasons. Some years feel loud. Some feel quiet. 2025 was quiet — but deeply faithful. God showed up in the small moments, the ordinary days, the gentle nudges.

Now, as I turn my heart toward 2026, I feel something I haven’t felt in a while: expectation. Not pressure. Not anxiety. Just expectation. Like something good is on the horizon, waiting to unfold.

Here’s what I’m personally looking forward to in 2026:

1. Living with a childlike spirit. Not childish — childlike. More wonder. More curiosity. More trust. Less overthinking. Less fear. Less self‑criticism. I want to rediscover the simplicity of faith, the joy of small things, the freedom of letting go.

2. Deepening my ministry and creative work. The curriculum. The devotionals. The workshops. The storytelling. The humor. The legacy work. Wait! What legacy work? I want to pour into these things with intention. I want to build resources that outlive me — things that help people feel seen, loved, and encouraged.

3. Expanding Friendship Coffee House. Not just as a podcast, but as a community. A place where people can gather — in person or online — to laugh, learn, reflect, and grow. A place where faith feels accessible, warm, and human.

4. Embracing simplicity. Less clutter. Less noise. Less pressure to perform. More peace. More presence. More purpose.

5. Becoming more available to God. This one is big for me. I want to wake up each day and say, “Lord, whatever You want to do today — I’m open.” Not perfectly. Not flawlessly. Just open.

And as I write this, I feel a tug on my heart to say something to my fellow Baby Boomers — the ones who sometimes feel like the world has moved on without them.

You are not done. You are not past your prime. You are not irrelevant. You are not forgotten.

You carry wisdom the world desperately needs. You carry stories younger generations can learn from. You carry resilience that only comes from living through decades of change.

2026 is not a year to shrink back. It’s a year to step forward — gently, humbly, intentionally — and offer what only you can offer.

Your presence matters. Your voice matters. Your story matters.

So, here’s to 2025 — the quiet year that taught me more than I expected. And here’s to 2026 — the year I’m stepping into with hope, openness, and a childlike spirit.

May God meet me — and all of us — in the journey ahead.

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Insert Break

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As I close this entry, I’m reminded that life isn’t measured only in milestones or accomplishments, but in the quiet ways God shapes us from year to year. 2025 didn’t shout — it whispered. And sometimes, whispers change us more deeply than thunder ever could.

Looking toward 2026, I feel a sense of readiness. Not the kind that comes from having everything figured out, but the kind that comes from trusting the One who walks with me. I’m stepping into the new year with open hands, a softer heart, and a renewed desire to live with simplicity, purpose, and joy.

If there’s one thing I’m carrying forward, it’s this: We’re never too old to grow, never too late to hope, and never beyond the reach of God’s gentle guidance.

Here’s to the journey ahead — to the stories yet to be written, the people yet to be met, and the grace yet to be discovered.

Until next time, God Bless.

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REFERENCES

MUSIC

A Christmas Romance

Johnny Boyle

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/jonny-boyle/a-christmas-romance

License code: EXTN9FGDOYTAPX8P

 

Auld Lang Beat

Oliver Massa

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/auld-lang-beat

License code: SPCQ7T9TTB4XZTWC


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