Overwintering.
new new year
This January, let us all remember that he invented the Gregorian calendar. Nature is not reborn on January 1st. January is winter. It’s cold. Isn’t it time to go inside and rest? How to be reborn in spring? This is the first time in a new year that I have felt so drawn to not jump on new trends for myself. I am pulled to rest, wait, rejuvenate, and let nature take care of my body and mind. My heart is full of unearthing what is truly important and preparing for the coming season. There is nothing new in nature now. Seeds are still curled up in the cold soil, waiting for their moment, animals are hibernating, and trees are sleeping. Have you ever thought that the pressure we feel every New Year is man-made? This year, I didn’t allow myself to feel it. You need to remember this when you ask your husband about his to-do list. Spring is the season when everything is new, growth occurs, and the sun lingers. The days will be busy. The food is flavorful. Let’s get ready for that. Save your energy for the day. What will you make, create, create when that time comes?
I celebrate the new year. My family made a vision board. We know what we want for ourselves and our families this year, but I’m letting nature take its course. The temperature tells us that now is not the time to hurry, it is time to rest. Go inside and snuggle. To read a good book, watch a good movie, love my family, and enjoy this season’s uneven schedule. No sports are currently being played. Just work, school, youth group, and Bible study. So, savor it more and appreciate family dinners and slow evenings. The sun knows that it sets early. I need more advice from there this winter. Let’s wait. If your body doesn’t have enough time to relax in anticipation of something, take a break and figure out what you want to do before chasing something.
The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is be still. Exodus 14:14
This January is different. The end of the year was different. It’s slow. It’s softer. The numbers may change depending on the date, but for me and my family, we are enjoying the winter season. I began to remember how old New Years felt like having to create and invent from scratch all over again. And this new version needed to come out before the glitz and glamor of Christmas decorations was sorted out and put away. We all make a list of resolutions and grab that dusty gym membership by mid-February, only to spend the next ten months feeling like a failure. What if this year was different? I started thinking. What if we looked at how nature deals with time and placed it at the beginning of the year instead?
It’s winter. Nature’s hibernation should guide us. Let’s all enjoy the comfort of winter. Let’s continue to reflect on what this past year has brought us, taught us, and touched our hearts. What if we gathered around the fire and thought about what happens next once the flowers bloom? Should it be a new version of us, or could it be a well-rested version? Wouldn’t that be new to all of us?
“Repentance and rest are your salvation, and quietness and trust are your strength.”
Isaiah 30:15
The nightly Christmas reading from Luke became the nightly Bible reading after dinner, and that time is always a cherished moment for all of us. I see us all coming together stronger, closer, healthier and more united at the end of the year.
At church this month, we were all asked to choose an inspirational word for 2026. Without realizing it, my husband and I chose the same word.
concentration.
My daughter chose Believe.
My son chose to commit.
For the new mirror above the fireplace, have a decal made that says “Focus, Believe, Commit.” As the year progresses, I will enjoy this memory. But we’re not going to run away and jump into new and improved versions of ourselves and our families. We will take a step forward, share our responsibilities, support each other, lean on each other, and leave it to winter.
If animals know that we shouldn’t rush through the year based on the calendar, we need to know that too. The new year begins in spring. As growth begins, the ice melts and a green color appears on the tips of the branches. When the sounds start early and the sun lingers longer, that’s the beginning of our year.
Give yourself permission to rest. I plan on renewing it this winter. And in the spring, a better version appears, a rested soul. No matter how last year ended, you can rely on the weather to slow you down this month and next. For the first time in my life, I can sincerely say, “Hello, Mr. Winter, it’s nice to meet you.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Bohdan Bevz
Kimberly Trigo has always loved writing. It started with poetry when she was a teenager. Kimberly is a stay-at-home mom, and her days are busy as she homeschools her twins and builds a barn with her husband. She works part time in the financial industry and loves helping people achieve financial success. She has many hats, but her favorite hat is motherhood.
