Goodbye, 2025. May 2026 be a Great Year.

2025 is quickly coming to an end, and 2026 is right around the bend. See what I did there? Every once in a while, I embrace my inner poet.

As I contemplate all that 2025 has brought, I am struck by how many big changes occurred in a short twelve months. Some were good, some were bad, and some were devastating.

Let's talk about the good things first. I try to focus on the positive things in life, so it's a great place to start.

I was honored to have my novel, Sally's Secret Legacy, featured as the book of the month in a book club. As a result of the book's feature, both of my books are being made into audio books. A talented producer happens to belong to the club and said he loved Sally's Secret Legacy so much that he sent it to one of his voice actresses to see if she was interested in performing it. One thing led to another, and I have contracts on both my novel and my short story collection, Moonbeams and Ashes, for audio books. They should be released early next year.

Ozarks Creative Writers Conference, which is held in Eureka Springs, Arkansas every fall, allowed me to be their opening speaker this year. The audience was receptive and gracious, making my self-confidence skyrocket. They asked great questions and offered some fabulous discussion.

At that same conference, I was thrilled to share a book table with one of my favorite authors, "USA Today" Bestselling Author Renee George. We had several long talks, and she offered me pearls of writer wisdom. If you ever have a chance to meet and/or spend time with her, I highly recommend you do so. She's talented, funny, intelligent, and kind.

One of my dreams came true with a September vacation my husband and I took. We visited Colorado and had a fabulous time. We hiked around the top of Royal Gorge, completely awestruck by the views. Then we rode the train down into Royal Gorge, which is an experience I highly recommend. The next day, we rode the train from Durango to Silverton and back, completely enamored by the mountains.

The trip culminated with two days at Mesa Verde National Park. It's been my dream to visit Mesa Verde since I first learned about it in my college archaeology class. My husband and I hiked around dozens of Native American ruins, and I even touched one of the spirals that carved into the wall of an ancient pueblo.

We trekked up to the fire tower where we could see for miles, and it was worth every twinge from my bad knee to stand at such great elevation, enjoy the views, and breathe the clean mountain air. I hope to visit the park again when I can hike some of the more difficult trails.

This year I finally accomplished a long-term goal I set five years ago -- I paid off my credit card debt. I currently have a tiny bit from ordering Christmas gifts online, but it will be gone by February. With that accomplished, I can save some money for much needed dental work and a hearing test. Both are things I've been pushing to the back burner for far too long.

2025 also saw sadness and terrible loss. I lost two of my uncles this year -- Uncle Don W. last spring and Uncle Jerry T. this month. Both of them were much beloved members of my family, and we deeply feel their loss. Uncle Don, especially, was a huge part of my childhood and helped me see the wonders of this world with appreciative eyes.

An old friend called me a few days ago to let me know that one our high school friends had passed away. He attended a different school than us, but he was really good pals with our mutual friend. My very first date with this particular man, and he's always held a special place in my heart. Over the years when I thought of him, I imagined him somewhere amazing, living his best life. As with my uncles, his loss will be felt deeply by many people.

I had significant changes at work, too. Early in the year, my boss announced some great people were being laid off and our department's building was being sold. Losing my coworkers left a huge hole our little work family, and I still miss them. Dealing with their layoffs, I was still firmly in denial regarding our location. I had hoped against hope that the building would never sell, but it did. The deal closed December 18th.

My coworkers and I were split into two groups with three of my coworkers and I moving to the basement of our main office, and the crew moving to a building a couple of blocks from our new location. We moved this month, and we're doing our best to acclimate to our new surroundings and establish a routine. We've had some hiccups, but we're getting it worked out.

2025 was such a busy year with many events, adventures, and changes. As I look forward to 2026, I'm giving a great deal of thought to what I would like to accomplish in the next twelve months. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do believe in setting goals.

My goal list is simple. Finishing my second novel is one of my top priorities. I've been in the editing process for most of the year, but I still have a long way to go. Once that's finished, I want to write a children's book and perhaps a cookbook before I start on the third book in the Ozarks Legacy trilogy. I'm also looking forward to the release of my audio books.

More important than my writing goals is spending as much quality time with my family and friends as possible. I'm blessed to still have my mom, and I would like to take her on a road trip this year. We'll see if we can get that scheduled, which may be challenging since we both work full-time. I would also like to spend more time with sister. Something as simple as a shopping trip would be great. My grandchildren are growing like crazy, and I want to enjoy them while they're young enough to still want to hang around their nana.

What are your goals for 2026? What were your highlights for 2025?

Whatever they may be, I wish you a Happy New Year!

I am an Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad 

Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please join me again next week for more Ozarks Maven.