2017 has been a hard year for me in many ways, but it has also been full of blessings. I have enjoyed reflecting on this year as it ends, and have compiled my annual list of significant events and experiences.
1. I read forty-three of my journals, making it from 2008 to the summer of 2013 in my effort to reread my collection in chronological order. I've laughed, cried, corrected memories that got skewed over the years, and enjoyed revisiting the past. I now have a much greater appreciation both for my past self and for God's sovereignty in all these different stages of life.
2. I read lots of books about the art of storytelling. This gave me insight into my projects, stories I love, and why certain parts of my life make such satisfying narratives.
3. Jordan, one of my coworkers and best friends, left the library this spring to enlist in the Air Force. I miss him, but am grateful for our years working together. My friendship with him greatly shaped my life, and I love remembering our interactions.
4. I participated in Lent for the first time by fasting from social media. It was not a total fast, since Facebook messaging is one of my key communication outlets with long distance friends, but I avoided news feed scrolling and limited how much time I spent online. This gave me time to focus on other things, particularly Water in the Wilderness, a Bible study I purchased from Words Worth Noting, a business one of my mentors from high school partners in with a friend. God used this study to convict me of sin, encourage me in His character, and provide clarity as I processed and remembered significant life-change events from the previous year.
5. In March, I got together with the high school mentor, Emily, to share about what God has been doing in my life. It was incredibly special to catch up with her and thank her for her influence. The time that we spent together is one of the highlights of my year.
6. Hannah, a dear family friend who lives out of town, visited my sister over spring break weekend. I got to hang out with them some, and we had way too much fun. Our brief visit overflowed with great moments and cackle-worthy quotes.
7. I got to attend three weddings this year! In June, my childhood family friend Nicole got married, and in September, I traveled to the mountains to see friends Levi and Caley get married. In October, I attended a wedding for my childhood family friend AnnaLaura. Weddings make me incredibly happy, and are great opportunities to appreciate special people in one's past and present life.
8. Emily M., her sister Hannah, and I went to our friend Melissa's baby shower together. This day was full of great conversations and memorable moments. Later in the afternoon, Emily and I went to see Wonder Woman for the first time each, and we loved it.
10. Another special part of the summer was ministering with Read & Swim, a program for refugee children. I helped kids with their reading some days, and taught kids to swim in a local Christian camp's pool. I wrote about this in more detail here.
9. I got to spend more time with my friend Victoria. I spent part of a weekend with her in her city, and at other times, we saw Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming in theaters. In October, we went to her local farmer's market, and she got to hold a puppy.
11. On September second, my tiny childhood library and place of employment closed for expansion. I'm excited about how its coming improvements will serve the community, but I miss my regular work environment and coworkers.
12. I am now working at a vastly larger library branch. I expected this transition to be difficult, but I have adjusted with ease, which is an answer to prayer. It is helpful for me to have work experience at this much-larger library, and I have built good routines and social connections in my new location. One of the highlights has been connecting with a Tuesday night coworker. We discovered that we attended the same church for years in the past without knowing each other, and it has been fun to connect over mutual acquaintances and experiences.
13. One of my biggest fears going into this year was how my relationships would alter as life changes. A major encouragement was spending time with my friend Sophie throughout the year and seeing that even though she is at school, we can still make each other a priority. Here's a picture of us from this summer:
14. During National Novel Writing Month, I wrote the majority of my murder mystery. I have been planning it for a long time, and got stuck in it partway through my first attempt, so it was very satisfying to accomplish so much.
15. After six of years of traveling with me, going on walks with me, taking way too many pictures of my stuffed animals, and recording countless moments with family and friends, my camera started glitching and became undependable. I'm happy with the replacement I bought, but saddened by this end of an era. That first camera was witness to the best years of my life.
16. My family moved out of my childhood home and into a house that we've built. This was the culmination of a lot of time and effort, and the transition was not nearly as traumatizing as I thought it would be.
17. Even though I have struggled a lot this year, I currently have less anxiety and fewer obsessive, negative, controlling thoughts than I have at any other point since elementary school. It has been so encouraging to see how, even though there were times when I thought my problems would only get worse as life went on, I have been able to overcome and live in a much better, more peaceable brain.
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