I’m just over half a month away from diving into my 2023-2024 planner. (For the last several years, I’ve used more of an academic year calendar over a calendar year version, so all my new planner joy comes in June each year.) I’ve worked hard to set up the new book, transferring information, copying in obligations we already have, and thinking ahead to what the future might bring.
But while I do
that, I’m also looking back over the book I’ve used for the last twelve months.
It really is a combination of a journal and a planner, and the memories it
holds are sweet to me as I wrap up the time frame it represents.
It holds my words
of the year from both 2022 and 2023 (“foster” and “presence,” respectively). I
wrote in the front my verses for each year – one from 1 Peter and one from the
Psalms.
I found
scribblings of goals and dreams. Some happened as I Hoped they would Others didn’t.
And sometimes the goals and dreams changed along the way. Each of those results
represent a journey unique to us and the year we lived.
Hundreds of
colored circles represent days of Bible study complete, and that makes my heart
so happy.
I have notes
scribbled from meetings I attended for work, webinars I took for fun, brainstorms
for the future, observations about myself, lists I needed to accomplish,
measurements for our furniture, gift ideas, essential oils I wanted to get,
quotes I found, and interviews I conducted. They flow in one giant stream of
consciousness, separated only by the use of a different color for each moment.
Each month
holds a verse I worked on clinging to throughout those days, prayers, gratefulness,
and goals.
I see notes
about the books I’ve read, the places we were scheduled to visit, and the
monthiversaries we celebrated.
The daily pages
hold to-do lists, prayer requests, quotes I found, notes about my water
consumption and our workouts, praises, and more.
It’s the story
of our year, told in colorful formats and full of history and meaning. I see
why people like keeping planners from years gone by. They’re mini autobiographies
that chronicle the ordinary and make it feel extraordinary on the other side.
The Lord has
brought us through so much in the last year. It hasn’t all been bad. Much of it
has been very good. But much of it has also been weighty and significant to our
now and our future. That won’t stop simply because I’m switching to a new book.
I know that a year down the road, I’ll be in awe once again of God’s work and slow,
purposeful guidance of our days.
1 comment:
I love how you are so devoted to your planning and growth.
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