For many, December is a time of reflection and introspection. It’s a time when we reflect on 2025 and plan for 2026. It is joyous and exciting for some and melancholy for others.
This year, we’ve seen an economic rollercoaster, whiplash-provoking announcements and jaw-dropping changes. Some of us held on and white-knuckled through it. Others were unbothered. Some are still wondering when the other shoe is going to drop.
The good news is that we made it to December. We demonstrated that we have the capability and courage to weather the storm. We didn’t know if the storm was a category 5 hurricane, a tornado or a tsunami, but when it landed, we relied on our fortitude, God and one another, and we made it to December. We may have witnessed democracy decay and media misinformation, but this strengthened our mettle. We stopped pumping the brakes and started pressing the gas. We have shown that we are strong, unbreakable and resilient. We showed up — as donors, good neighbors, friends and our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
2025 arrived as a teacher. She was heavy-handed, dishing out tough love. She came to teach us lessons about life, ourselves and God. The class was not one where we could register or select topics. We were all involuntarily opted in. We learned about adversity, fear, strength of character and moral convictions. We discovered a level of guts, gumption and grit within us that we had not tapped. It helped us to persevere, resist, strategize and rebound.
Now, look at us. We learned how to stretch a dollar. Some of us realized we could start a side hustle. We learned how to monetize our talents. We learned to start conversations with people who are different from us. We learned how to seek light in seasons of darkness. We learned that we could give and share even from a place of scarcity. We learned how to figure it out. We learned that we have a voice and we are influencers. We learned that we are stronger and more resourceful than we knew, and equipped with muscles we have yet to flex. We learned that God is with us.
While making it to December may be a milestone and a victory, it is also a time to look back and look forward. Looking back brings memories of weddings, gender reveals, graduations and funerals. It may also remind us of mistakes, offenses and opportunities for improvement.
As we take inventory of 2025 and assess lessons learned, perhaps this is the time to start listening to the whispers, the gentle nudges and urgings pushing you toward those people and relationships that are unreconciled. This is the time to sit down and write a handwritten letter, an email or a text message. This is the time to apologize, make amends and forgive.
It’s not easy to admit mistakes or own our shortcomings. It is the procrastinator’s wish to kick the can down the road and deal with it next year. No matter how many “save the date” cards you may have posted on your refrigerator, in your office or on your phone, no one is promised tomorrow.
This month represents a time to aspire to our higher and better selves. It is a time to address unresolved and unsettled matters so we can usher in peace and make room for more blessings in 2026.
What we did in 2025, and what we learned about ourselves, will affect what happens in 2026.
Did you offend anyone? Do you care if you offended anyone? Did you contribute to the pain of someone else? Did you participate in someone’s loss? Was there a time when you were silent, when you should have spoken up on someone’s behalf? Did you give more than received? Was your fear greater than your faith? Did you help someone? Did you forgive someone? Did you apologize? Did you ask for forgiveness? Did you accept the apology? Did you seek reconciliation? Whose life is better because you are in it?
Let us hope that we have been good students, and that we are better people. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds our future.