#lifelessons

“Here’s to 2026!”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

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. ✨

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“New Year’s Revelations 2025!”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

(Here’s an excerpt from my book, “Each Breath Along the Journey)
Every year I notice that as the New Year approaches, people start talking about their “resolutions.” There are things they want to do and things they want to change in their life, so they make a list of “resolutions.”
I threw that concept out years ago because to me, resolutions were nothing more than making promises to myself that I couldn’t keep. They were goals for sure, but seriously, how many of us actually stick to those resolutions? I always tried, failed at some, then beat myself up for not doing what I had wanted.
So, years ago I realized that the only way for my life to change was by learning the lessons that life had handed me, by learning from my mistakes, learning from my experiences, and so I decided to have my “New Year’s Revelations!”
I ask myself some important questions throughout the month of December: What opened my eyes this past year? What did I learn about myself? What type of people are in my tribe? Am I taking care of myself and loving myself enough or giving too much of myself away? And what do I need to let go of that has no place in the New Year coming up and in my life?
These are the questions to ask yourself and answer honestly. You see, when you have those “revelations” about yourself and the year that’s about to come to an end, you take those lessons and truths with you. You begin the New Year with a better understanding of yourself, your life, your situations and the people in it. When you do that, the New Year will bring all that you want it to: love, happiness, joy, adventure, new beginnings, and new opportunities. The possibilities are endless.
Don’t put added stress on yourself by making “resolutions.”
Take the time to think about your “revelations” and begin the New Year in a positive light. All things are possible if you just believe in yourself!
It’s a good thing.
Wishing you love and light,
~Anne Dennish~


“What Does 2025 Look Like for You?”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

December is always a time for me to reflect on the year that’s about to end. I think about what worked and what didn’t, what was worth the effort and what wasn’t, and most importantly, I think about what I’ve learned about myself.

I take all these thoughts and put them into my “New Year Revelations,” because I don’t believe in “resolutions.”

“Revelations” invoke change in us because we’ve learned lessons that we don’t want to forget.

“Resolutions” are promises we make to ourselves that most often get lost midway through January.

So I’m gathering up my thoughts and writing them on paper. They will become my “New Year Revelations.”

And I’m looking forward to taking them all into 2025 with me.

How about you?

Forget about making resolutions. Think about your revelations from this year.

This chapter is almost finished.

What do you want the next one to look like?

Whatever it is, make it amazing!

I know that you can!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Thank you, Eddie Money!”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

I keep hearing that song by Eddie Money called “I Wanna Go Back” and after the other night of feeling hurt that’s all I wanted to do. I wanted to go back in time and “do it all over.” 

But we can’t and I know that but sometimes I can’t help thinking about what I would have done differently, yet you know why we think that we’d do it better? It’s because we know better now. We’ve learned valuable life lessons throughout the years and hopefully, have learned to love ourselves in a way that we didn’t back then. 

And I think that’s the key as to why we sometimes look back with sadness and regret. We wish we knew then what we know now but we all know that that’s not how life works and I believe that the biggest reason is that back then we didn’t know how to love ourselves, we were taught to love others and put others first.

Picture yourself 10, 15, 20 or more years ago loving yourself unconditionally. Imagine who you would have been if you had. Our decisions and choices would have most likely been very different.

But we can’t go back. We can only move forward.

The past is the past. The mistakes and decisions we made then are long gone and forgiven. We’ve learned that taking care of ourselves is just as important, if not more, as taking care of  others. We are of much more value to others when we can value ourselves.

There are days that “I wanna go back and do it all over” but I can’t and that’s okay. I know how much I’ve grown because I can look back and know how I would have done it differently. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m sure I’ll make more moving forward  but that’s life. We learn from our mistakes. 

Here’s to all of us being a work in progress. Give yourself permission to “go back” for a moment to remind yourself just how far you’ve come.

And you’ve come a long way.

We all have.

Thank you, Eddie Money, for an awesome song that’s a reminder for all of us!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

“Today I Can Do Anything”

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

I used to pass these pictures on my way to work back in New Jersey. I was lucky enough to always catch the red light at the intersection in Asbury Park where these, and a few other pictures, graced the side of the building.

Today, as I listened to a Queen song, this picture came to mind. It was a reminder every day that I went to work, and a reminder now, that “today I can do anything!” 

And I definitely needed this reminder today. Life has handed me quite a few ups and downs in the last few months coupled with a few endings which I know will lead to some awesome beginnings! That’s the thing about life, the endings simply mean that the time is up for that experience and when we can learn and grow from them it can lead to a beautiful new beginning just waiting on the horizon.

You have to believe that “today you can do anything” and in order to do that, begin to “create” the circumstances needed to do it. 

It feels good to be writing again. I miss it so much and this picture reminded me that I am, indeed, a writer and one that shares her personal experiences in the hopes that it can make a positive difference in someone’s life and possibly in the world.

I’ve missed you all so much and hope that “today I can do anything” and it’s about time that I started to “create” again.

I love you all!

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~

Let The “Staycation” Begin

/ Anne Dennish / Leave a comment

I left work at 4 pm on Friday knowing that I would be off the entire next week. Can I tell you how excited I am? I’m very excited. It’s more than the week before Christmas, it’s a week of taking time for myself and deciding what I’m doing next in my life.

Friday was the first day of my “staycation” and a perfect one at that! A walk to Asbury Park, dinner in an “igloo” and a walk home on the beach. The streets were aglow in Christmas lights and it was almost a “full moon!” I couldn’t have planned it any better or expected any more! It was a night of great food, good company and most importantly, love and laughs! It was the perfect way to begin my “staycation.”

Saturday held many interesting twists and turns but it turned out to be a wonderful night, having dinner with two good friends. So far this “staycation” is turning into an amazing time.

It’s Sunday night, the house is quiet and I’m all by myself. I spent the day doing “me” and it felt pretty good because I spent so much time on everyone else.

I thought about a lot of things today and realized that I haven’t spent enough time on myself. This week is about change. Things in my life need to change and I am forever grateful to have this week to decide what needs to change and to make a choice of what I want to change.

Here’s to beautiful “staycations” at home. I am incredibly grateful for this one. It’s been a long time coming and I have to believe that I deserve it.

Wishing you love and light,

~Anne Dennish~