The Last Time
As 2024 ends, we say goodbye to the past and begin a new year with a clean slate – a fresh start. A year ago today, I was in the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, PA. I was eager to say goodbye to one of the hardest years of my life and I looked forward to January 1st when I could finally say, “I go home this year!”
We often relish in life’s firsts – first words, first steps, first love, first baby… life is full of firsts! But like our names, every First has a Last. And every final “Last” matters just as much as the First, sometimes even more! The Lasts I’m talking about are the final ones, the final time we will ever experience it again. Sometimes the final time is predictable and obvious like my final day of college or the last day I lived in my last house. In those cases, we often know the precise day it’s going to end.
My youngest (and last) child turned 12 years old a few months ago. I try to remember the last time I picked him up and carried him on my hip; or the final time he called me “mommy” before solely calling me “mom.” There is something sad about their finality. I often wonder, would it have meant something different if I had forewarning that it would be the last time?
Lasts are happening all the time in our lives and except for the predictable ones, we rarely know it’s the final time until after the fact. I’ve been considering how I can use the unpredictable ones to fuel my future. So far, I’ve pinpointed one way and decided to share it with you.
As you enter this new year and come out of the gate with big resolutions, like eating healthier or losing weight, I encourage you to reflect. Don’t get me wrong, setting goals for the new year is great! There’s something invigorating and hopeful about it. But don’t forget how you got here and what you conquered to make it happen.
Consider the events you experienced in 2024 (the firsts and lasts). What are you striving to repeat in 2025? What will you take into the next year and what (or who) will you leave behind? What lessons did you learn? How will you cherish things, express gratitude and show love differently this year, or will you? For the record, I’m not proposing you change anything. If you’re happy and content with your life then by all means, rinse and repeat! Please send me your secret!
I’m closing out this last day of 2024 by reflecting on all that I’m grateful for and all that I’ve learned over the past 12 months. I survived something I never thought I could, but I’m taking what I learned with me into every year that follows this one. One of the biggest things I learned (like really, really learned) was the value of being mindful and deliberate in how I express love to my three children. The three most important human beings in my life and my New Year’s resolution is to make sure they feel it in their cores.
“When was the last time anyone told you how important you are?” — Maya Angelou
