I survived 2025!
That sentence alone carries more weight than most people will ever see!

This year didn’t come quietly. It showed up demanding answers I didn’t feel ready to give. It tested parts of me I thought were already settled. It pulled things into the light that had been buried for decades. Some of it was beautiful. Some of it hurt like hell. All of it changed me.

This was a big one! I found out I have a daughter I never knew about. Almost twenty five years of life existed without me, and suddenly I was standing face to face with this reality. There was a little grief in that discovery because of the weight of time lost but I get to be present today and that’s truly amazing! That alone would have been enough for one year. It truly is a blessing!

But the year kept coming…

Money was tight. Not theoretical tight. Real tight. The kind where you count dollars and replay decisions at night. The kind that forces humility and creativity at the same time. Crazy me… I started a business in the middle of that pressure, knowing full well that security wasn’t guaranteed. I chose faith over comfort more than once, even when fear tried to convince me that playing it safe was wiser.

One of my daughters started college in South Carolina. Pride and fear lived side by side in my chest. Watching your child step into independence is beautiful and terrifying all at once. You realize how fast the years fly by, and how permanent your influence really is.

Emotionally and spiritually, I was in battles most people never saw. Quiet ones… internal ones… the kind you fight while still showing up, still leading, still answering messages, still being needed. Some days I felt strong. Other days I felt worn out.

…But I stayed in the fight.

I lost people I cared about. Some through passing away, some through distance. Some through misunderstanding, some through truth finally spoken out loud. I lost friendships that couldn’t survive growth, boundaries, or honesty. Those losses hurt more than I expected because letting go still costs something, even when it’s necessary.

Here’s the truth that matters most…

Nothing this year broke me!!

Everything this year taught me!!

The painful moments sharpened my discernment. The financial pressure strengthened my discipline. The emotional weight deepened my compassion. The spiritual battles clarified my dependence on God, not as a concept, but as a daily anchor.

What tried to take me out ended up training me.

I’m not walking into 2026 bitter. I’m walking in wiser. I’m not carrying resentment. I’m carrying lessons. I’m not ashamed of what this year exposed. I’m grateful for what it refined in me.

Survival isn’t weakness. It’s evidence. Growth doesn’t always look like winning. Sometimes it looks like staying.

I stayed!!

And because I stayed, I’m stronger than the version of me that started this year.

Take a slow breath in through your nose.
Hold it for 3 seconds.
Exhale slowly.
Do that again.
Let your nervous system catch up to the strength you already showed this year.

Take a few minutes and write freely.

What did this past year reveal about your resilience that you did not know before?

What did you lose that made room for something healthier?

What lesson from this year do you refuse to leave behind in 2026?

Write down 3 moments from the past year that were painful at the time but now make sense as turning points. Don’t rush this. Honor what you survived.

Small practices create real change.

If this reflection hit close to home, stay with the work. Growth does not end when the calendar changes. It deepens when you choose to carry the right lessons forward.

Thank you for walking this road with me.
We are still here.
And that matters more than most people realize.

• Mental Health Check-In
• Journal Prompts
• Start Here: What Light in the Tunnel Is

Stay honest. Stay grounded. Stay in the fight

Jeff