What In The World Will 2022 Bring?

Is it really 2022 already?

Thank goodness is the only thought that comes to mind. 2021 felt like the pain-in-the-ass half-sister to 2020!

Every time I see the ball drop on New Year’s Eve I find myself feeling hopeful about the adventures to come. This year I find myself nervous with a little bit of optimism mixed in. I’m looking for a direction in 2022 but my compass is spinning in circles.

I don’t want to dwell on 2021 and the medical challenges I personally faced along with wildfires that raged out of control in the mountains followed by a really rough bout with Covid throughout the holidays – including ending up in the ER to get my husband some oxygen and a steroid so he could breathe. We still haven’t celebrated Christmas nor our ten-year wedding anniversary before 2021 decided to add a bitter cherry on top of the steaming pile of crap by burning nearly 1000 homes 5 miles north of us. All I can say is death to 2021!

I told you I won’t dwell on 2021 so I won’t. And no, the paragraph above is not dwelling, it is merely an historical documentation of what the year looked like. But that isn’t completely fair… in 2021 we welcomed four new babies into our lives. Our hearts have been warmed with love and the hope of new life. They are each perfect in their own way and have brought great joy to our families (we feel the joy mostly because they aren’t ours which means we get a full night's sleep).

So, what about 2022? The good news: I don’t have to drop any holiday weight because I did that during December! Who loses 10 lbs in December? It’s called the Covid Diet and it’s taking the country by storm! I have found it is the most effective diet I’ve ever been on and it produces results within a few weeks. I would say you might want to give it a try but then again it may require a hospital run!

I’ve decided that for 2022 the most important goal I am setting is to take one week at a time. As most of you know I’m a big goal setter! I believe you can achieve great things if you work on it a little every day. My big goal is to find joy somewhere in each day. Maybe that can be my word for 2022: Joy.

I recently listened to a sermon that talked about the difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is a feeling and feelings can be fleeting. Don’t believe me? At this very moment you can be happy but a phone call can bring you to your knees (thought credit goes to Pastor Chandler). Joy is deeper. Joy is something that doesn’t adjust with the barometer. It doesn’t change with wildfires or pandemics. Yes, joy can be challenged but just like a tree with deep roots joy doesn’t fall over in hurricane force winds.

For me: joy is knowing God’s bigger promise and staying rooted in that promise. If I’m honest, the last two years have tugged at my roots but I refuse to let the unsteady climate knock me down (at least not permanently).

Yes, my word for 2022 will be joy. The little step I will take everyday this year is to pause in prayer and thank God for all His blessings (no matter how grim things may seem around me). After I have taken 365 steps to the top of my staircase of joy - or 360 steps since today is 1/5/22 - I will look around, my faith will be stronger, my roots will be deeper, and I will be a better person with joy radiating out my ears.