Dear Readers,

Before I resume sharing entries from my journals, I want to pause for a moment to encourage you as we step into this new year together. I also want to let you know that some of my recent work has been refined with a careful editorial eye, and I’m thrilled to share the polished versions with you soon. Most exciting of all, I’m nearing the finish line with my poetry collection, Under the Willow Tree. Thank you for being here, for reading along, and for growing with me. I’m truly grateful you’re here.💞

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January has a gentle way of inviting us to slow down, especially here in North America. It’s very different from the Caribbean island where I was born and raised. There, I never paused to reflect on the past or wonder about what was coming next; life simply moved in a steady rhythm, like the sea itself, shifting only between low tide and high tide.

Here in Ontario, as I write this reflective entry, tiny snowflakes had already drifted across the parking lot, settling on the vehicles, the trees, and anything willing to hold their shape. I’m deciding whether to write goals, jot down affirmations, or revisit the resolutions I keep missing.

As a new year begins, none of us knows exactly what lies ahead. Already, we’re hearing stories that lift the heart and others that weigh on it, all woven together with that familiar sense of wonder about what’s coming next. It’s the sacred in-between the space where one foot stands in all that has been, while the other reaches toward what might yet be, holding gratitude and longing gently in the same breath.

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

January reminds us that God is always doing a new thing, even when we can’t yet see its shape. We step into the unknown not with fear, but with expectancy, trusting that the Creator who authors our days is already ahead of us. “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?” —Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato

Scripture tells us not to despise small beginnings. God delights in the first step, the first yes, the first whisper of obedience. Every holy journey starts with a single act of courage.

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” — T. S. Eliot

God’s mercies are new every morning, and January simply magnifies that truth. We are never beyond renewal. Every breath is an invitation to return, to realign, to begin again with God.

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” — Hal Borland

God is faithful in every season. When life feels frozen or slow, we can rest in the promise that renewal is already on its way. Spring always comes, not by our striving, but by His steady hand.

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” — Jean‑Paul Sartre

Beauty is not limited by the seasons. Even in January, when the world feels muted and cold, God continues to scatter delight in places we might overlook; for example, a line of poetry that stirs the heart, a quiet morning that slows our breath as we journal, a winter sky brushed with soft light while we linger over a devotional reading.

And sometimes, beauty meets us most clearly when we step outside. A simple walk in nature, listening to the crunch of snow beneath our feet, watching frost cling to the branches and rooftops, and feeling the crisp air on our skin becomes its own kind of worship as we give thanks. All of creation reminds us of God’s nearness, even in the stillness of winter.

January teaches us to look for loveliness not because the world is warm, but because God is present. His handiwork remains, steady and faithful, inviting us to notice the small wonders He places along our path.

As we step into the year ahead, may we carry this awareness with us, trusting that the same God who meets us in winter’s stillness will guide us through every season to come. Let’s continue to trust and ‘literally’ take it one day at a time.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” — Psalm 19:1 (KJV)

May the Lord bless your steps in this new season. May His peace steady your heart, His light guide your path, and His quiet beauty meet you in unexpected places. May you walk into the days ahead with grace, courage, and the assurance that God goes with you.

Peace & Love,

😍jjf’26