How personal projects have shaped our journey
I started this newsletter at the end of last month—as my husband and I packed up the car and headed out west to Arizona. We’ve been doing this routine since 2017 but each year is always a little different. We try to avoid routes that might include snow or mountains but that’s not always possible this time of year. One year, we were stranded when Interstate Highway 40 in New Mexico closed down at a standstill for 4 hours going nowhere. But we made it safely and no major arguments besides who’s playlist will we listen to?? We even played the “Silent Game,” where we don’t talk for three hours straight! It might sound odd but it’ surprisingly refreshing. Maybe it’s because I think we are both introverts deep down.
As we roll into the New Year, I want to wish all of you dear readers, a happy and healthy January. This time of year feels like an empty canvas ready for us to paint a brand new story. There’s so much hype around “New Years Eve expectations,” and always has been. As a kid, it felt like a magical night. In high school, I’d babysit on New Year’s Eve and grateful for the extra spending money. Later in college and after, it seemed like every year carried the pressure of big expectations: thinking “this will be the year I do X, meet Y or finally achieve Z. This year I’m keeping it simple. I wish for HOPE and JOY. I wish that for you too— I know they are attainable. I just wrote those words in my sketchbook and notecard for my desk.
Hope because every day is a fresh start, a chance to create something new. And joy because it’s easy to forget how many blessings I already have. I don’t take those blessings for granted anymore.
The shift in perspective feels even more important after loosing two family members suddenly just two years ago. Within nine months, we lost my beautiful niece Megan and my talented nephew Zach, both were just 28 years old. Megan was a soccer star, Ivy League graduate and a promising attorney for a top law firm in Chicago. Zach played football in college and was working with an innovative company in southern California. Both were extraordinary and left a huge impact on all the lives they touched.
It gives me peace knowing they are at peace in heaven. But why am I writing about this now? Because their stories remind me that life is fleeting. None of us are promised tomorrow. It’s a reminder of the beauty of each day. That’s all I have and that’s all you have. I know in the AA Organization and many 12-step groups, they say, “take it one hour—sometimes, one minute at a time.” That’s what I’m working on this year. Slowing down and being present. To be able to enjoy the gift of hope and joy, even if I don’t get to check everything off of my “to do list.”
I hope you take a moment to share a comment on your plans or goals for this month or for 2025. I’d love to hear from you.
My colleagues at Illoguild are writing about how our personal projects have shaped our journeys this month. I encourage you to check out their Substacks—their thoughtful insights and advice has always been helpful and I appreciate their willingness to share them. I encourage readers to join us for our monthly LIVE Podcast this month. Sign up in the link below.
This year it was an honor to receive the International Impact Award for my Picture Book that I wrote and illustrated, CECELIA SAYS NO WHEN FRIENDSHIP AND BOUNDARIES COLLIDE. There will be a formal awards ceremony next month in Phoenix, Arizona for the winners that I am grateful to be able to attend. I’ll post a few pictures next month of the gala. Working on this project has helped me to push myself and try different different skills I didn’t think I could do a year or two ago.
I also enjoyed some classroom visits and story times this past year. The little ones are amazing.
Make each day your masterpiece! Here’s to you and your blank canvas. May you fill it with love, beautiful colors and endless possibilities. Here’s to 2025.
“Creativity takes courage.” - Henri Matisse
Until next month, wishing you all the best,
Noreen Anne
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Thank you Brenda! One of the highlights of 2024 was our meet up at the Garden of Gods in Colorado!
Noreen, I love your focus on HOPE and JOY! My goals this year align with yours. I just want to focus of being present and allow myself to feel deeply. Just take things day by day and not get to caught up on if I'm doing it right or fast enough. I know I've told you already, but I really am so sorry for both your losses. Thank you for reminding me and all your readers to seize the day will we have it!