As I sit here on the very first day of 2026, on a quiet Thursday afternoon, I can feel it:
hope, gratitude, excitement and a sense of peace I didn’t know I was capable of.
Last year wasn’t easy. I lost my mom, and that grief changed me in ways I’m still learning to understand, yet in the middle of that heartbreak, family found its way back to me. Doors I thought were long closed opened again. Love showed up in places I never expected and I’m grateful for that.
I also lost a very good friend, gone without conversation, explanation, or closure, and while it hurt, I chose to thank them anyway. I thanked them for the years we shared, even if they never responded because sometimes people leave without warning and we may never know why. Sometimes endings don’t come with answers. Sometimes they just come.
But here’s the thing:
With endings come beginnings.
With heartbreak comes clarity.
With loss comes room for something new.
And today, on 1/1/2026, I choose to see the good that grew from the hard. I choose gratitude for what was, hope for what’s becoming, and excitement for what’s waiting for me just beyond the horizon of this brand new year.
My mantra for 2026?
“Kiss it up to God and hand it over to the universe…and keep going.”
Here’s to a year of believing in myself, trusting the journey, loving the lessons, and welcoming every beautiful beginning that’s meant for me.
Happy New Year, my friends.
May 2026 be gentle with us, bold for us, and full of magic we never saw coming.
I know it’s Sunday and I know I never shared a Christmas post this year.
The truth is, this holiday felt different. It was the first one without my mom, and it sat tenderly in the quiet spaces of the day. I missed my kids, I missed the version of Christmas I used to know, and I think my heart just needed a little time to breathe.
So I want to say I’m sorry for going quiet… and also thank you for understanding.
And if your Christmas looked different this year too — if it felt heavier, or quieter, or not at all what you expected — I hope you know you’re not alone. Sometimes the holidays aren’t about the sparkle… sometimes they’re about learning how to carry our memories, our grief, and our love all at once.
If this year was hard, I’m holding space for you.
If it was healing, I’m celebrating with you.
And if you’re still figuring out what it all meant — I’m right there with you.
Here’s to gentle days and softer hearts.
Here’s to honoring what was… and finding hope in what’s to come.
This time of year has a way of pulling us in every direction – plans to make, places to be, and people to take care of, but somewhere in the middle of all that hustle and bustle is YOU!
And YOU matter, too!
So, today, give yourself permission to slow down. If you’ve been working all day, come home and let the world quiet itself for a moment. Slip into something soft, breathe deeply and allow yourself to unwind.
And if you’re in the middle of a busy day, carve out even five minutes just for you: read a few pages of a book, sip something warm, listen to calming music, or simply sit in silence and let your mind rest.
Self-care isn’t selfish – it’s necessary. When you nurture your own heart, you make more room for joy, patience, and love to flow into everything else that you do.
Take a moment today, and everyday because you deserve that much – and so much more.
This morning I woke up a little differently than yesterday. Today I woke up as an 11 year breast cancer survivor.
Today I woke up with more gratitude than usual, a gratitude filled with more happiness and smiles, love and laughter. Today I count another year of blessings as a survivor.
Today is a day I pray that I continue to celebrate every year.
Today I remember the journey of my breast cancer and the faith that I had to get through it.
Today I remember the people who helped me through my journey. Their love and support is something I will be eternally grateful for and they know who they are!
And today my thoughts and prayers are with those going through their own journey with breast cancer.
Gratitude is definitely in the house more than usual today.
Do you make a list of things you need to do? I do and I don’t have just one! I have the shopping list, the list of bills that need to be paid, a list of doctor appointments that need to be made and so on, and so forth. I must go through all the lists I’ve made at least once a month to check off what I’ve done and what still needs to be done.
But what about this? What about making a list of things you need to do each day just for YOU? Why not make a list of “reminders” of important thoughts and actions you need to live your best life?
Here’s a “life list” I started making for myself for this new year of 2025:
The moment my eyes open in the morning, and before I get out of bed, I stretch and say a prayer of gratitude for another day to do things better than the day before.
Each morning that I have my first cup of coffee (or tea) I sit and meditate for the day. I keep my thoughts positive and remind myself that I am worthy of all good things.
I want to devote time each day to reading a book with a cup of tea and relaxing.
When my thoughts start racing into a negative direction I will stop and take some deep breaths and refocus my attention on something positive. (This is an important one while dealing with PTSD)
And each day I want to embrace the gift of another day to laugh, to dance, to hug another and to count my blessings.
The list can go on and on but you understand what I mean. We tend to get so caught up in life that we forget to enjoy it and it’s time that we change that!
My heart and soul hurt. It’s a pain that I have no control over because it’s caused by people I love the most: my family.
I understand that I can’t control the behavior of others, but how do you stop them from constantly doing things that they know hurt you? Why do they isolate you from the people you love? Why don’t they care what they’re doing to you?
I was diagnosed with PTSD years ago after a difficult marriage and divorce. I spent years doing what needed to be done to heal myself. It worked, or so I thought. That’s the thing about PTSD; it can come back in an instant and it did.
I used to believe that there is nothing more important than family, but I don’t anymore. It has been close family members that have caused most of the trauma in my life.
Most of my family never really accepted me for who I am. They can’t understand how I can be faced with hard things in life and still remain positive. Their lack of understanding of who I am may be the reason for their behavior towards me.
They prey on my empathetic personality and think nothing of doing what they can to hurt me, and I don’t understand why. I’m no threat to them or anyone else. I’m just this girl who wants to share her experiences with the world in the hopes that someone can relate and know that it will be okay. I’m just this girl that wants to try to change the lives of others and the world for the better. I’m just this girl that tries to teach people that kindness matters and that we are all important.
I have very little contact with these people, yet they know how to get their point across to cause pain.
I’ve always been open about my life and I felt that it was important to do so now. Yes, my PTSD is back and I’m doing what I have to do to heal. I’ve tried to tell one of those family members about how much their behavior hurt me only to be told that I deserved to be treated that way.
No one deserves to be treated badly. No one deserves to be hurt intentionally, and no one deserves to feel worthless because others think that they are. Isn’t there enough pain and heartache going on in the world now? Why be a person who intentionally causes that to others?
I keep telling myself that their behavior towards me is their own insecurities about themselves and that they have to hurt me in order for them to feel good about themselves. They are the narcissists and abusers of the world and sadly, they are part of mine.
I’ve begun my journey of healing. I have to forgive them so that the anger doesn’t continue but I do NOT have to forget what they’ve done to me, and I never will. Unfortunately, family is connected in one way or another so cutting them out of my life is one thing, yet the connection is still there.
This is not the way that I intended to end 2024 yet I have learned so much with all that’s happened
that it’s time to begin 2025 without them.
I’m grateful for the life lessons, painful or not, that have placed me on this journey of healing. I intend to embrace each and every step along the way.
And for any of you going through something similar, I’m here for you. Together we can help each other to heal and hopefully, we can heal the world!
I am incredibly excited to let you know that I have started my own podcast called “Here’s The Thing” with Anne Dennish.
“Here’s The Thing” is about this crazy little world we live in and how we are all trying to keep it together, get it together and do it together. I’m bound and determined to help people and make this world a better place in spite of the people trying to ruin it. On a side note, my life is an OPEN BOOK and “here’s the thing:” I’m not afraid to read from it!
You can find me on Spotify, Amazon, Apple and iHeart radio! Take a listen and follow along, and don’t be afraid to send me a message or comment on my podcast. I value your opinion!
Did you ever go looking for something and find something else instead? I did just that the other day and what wonderful memories it brought back.
I went looking for a particular item in my closet and opened a random box. Inside were quite a few mementos and then, there she was, my pink Ipod! I knew that I had kept it but haven’t seen it in a million years!
I ordered a charger, plugged it in, and guess what? It worked and there, right in front of me, were all of the songs that I listened to back in 2002 or 2003! She definitely showed signs of wear and tear from all the times I used her but still, it was amazing how many memories came flooding back.
I remembered the day I got it. It was on April 27, 2002 or 2003, one of my kids’ birthdays. My then husband gave it to me with a beautiful inscription on the back. Suddenly, I was back in time.
I remembered having it with me as I walked the Spring Lake, New Jersey boardwalk at 5:30 in the morning every day. I remember it being strapped to my left arm as I worked out at the gym. I remembered listening to it as I cooked breakfast for my five beautiful children and I remembered how much joy it brought me.
Today as I scroll through my playlists I can remember what each one meant to me and the times I played them. I can vividly see those days, hear the sounds and smell the scents.
I can smell the ocean as I walk on the boardwalk to the sounds of Matchbox Twenty. I can remember sitting on the beach with my coffee afterwards listening to Anita Baker and I can remember working on the weight machines at my gym listening to the music of Nirvana.
So many memories and a delightful visit to my past. I know that there were troubles beginning during that time but this tiny little electronic device washed them away for me.
And it washed away the memories of those times now.
You never know what you’ll find when you’re looking for something else.
I found an old friend that reminded me of a happy and simpler time in my life.
There are some people that are just born “trouble makers.” Do you know the type that I’m speaking about? I know it all too well because I’ve been dealing with them my entire life yet they have taught me some very valuable lessons.
As an empath I can feel the pain of others and have the gift of being able to understand how they feel and why they act the way that they do, but just because I’m able to do that does NOT mean that their behavior is justified.
I used to teach my kids that “bullies” were mean because they were insecure, jealous or had low self-esteem. I taught them that it was their feelings about themselves that made them mean to others. As an adult, I don’t use the term “bully,” but use the correct term of “abuser and/or narcissist.”
I battled breast cancer and won, but battling a narcissist? That’s a battle for which there is no chemo or radiation to try and cure it. It’s a battle that is not fought to win, in fact, it’s a battle that NO ONE should enter into. I have studied and researched narcissism for years and have lived through many years of dealing with one. I’m learning that less interaction with them is best. They will turn it on you every time and play the victim and the martyr. They are hurtful people with not a stitch of remorse or compassion to be found in their being.
The people who truly matter in your life are the ones who love you for who you are. They support you and stand by you. They are the ones that bring you joy when they’re around and would never intentionally hurt you.
No one has the right to hurt another person. You are a unique and amazing human being and deserve love, respect and compassion.
Cut ties with any narcissists that are taking up space in your life and draining your beautiful energy. They don’t deserve your time and you don’t deserve their abuse.
Shine bright, my loves, because your light will always shine through the darkness!
And just like that, my Christmas plans have changed. None of my children will be home as we had all planned, thanks to a tricky virus that seems to be running rampant lately. I’m disappointed but have to be honest in telling you that I was beginning to worry about two of them flying right now and one is getting over having this little bug.
I’m sad that they won’t be home. It’s the first Christmas I’ve ever spent without even two of them home.
This was supposed to be my “Christmas Miracle,” having them all together with me again but the Universe had other plans and I understand that. Still, it would have been the greatest gift for me to be together with all of them.
And I truly believe that Christmas lives within our hearts, remembering the memories of Christmas past and making memories of Christmas “present.” Whether we’re together or apart, my children will always be the Christmas that lives in my heart.
This “staycation” has certainly been good for me because if I hadn’t had this time to myself I probably would have been more upset and sad about it all week. And I haven’t been. I’m glad they made decisions in their best interest and in my parents and in mine.
Christmas will be quiet, as was Thanksgiving, but I’m grateful to have another one. I’m grateful that I had this “staycation.” I’m grateful for the peace I’ve found this week.
Anne Dennish - Writer/Author 