Notes from the Margins: Before We Turn the Page on 2025

Two days remain in 2025. It’s been a good year.

A hard year.

A blessed year.

The end of this year is quite literally our new beginning.

Through 2025, God has led, and we have followed. He’s wrought patience in us these last months. We had no choice but to wait.

No control over circumstances relating to selling our home and moving.

Just God.

His will. And His timing.

And — our God is so faithful. We closed on the sale of our home a week ago. Right on time. And here we are — sitting on top of windy Dandy Hill!

And now I’m enjoying some precious days off, setting up house, feathering my new little nest, dusting off my blog, reflecting on the last 363 days. Musing on God’s perfect provision. His timing. His plans are always better than mine!

Oh goodness, there is just so much to say and share. These days, I find myself holding my stories closer to my heart. I’m not sure if it’s me being selfish, or safe, or just having lacked the energy to “live” or give anything in the online space. I see social media paralyzing and laden with anxieties and pressures. Ick. “Can’t live with it, can’t live without it,” as they say.

I just want true connection, community, and relationships. I want for a quilting bee, a book club, and afternoon teas. I want to use the good dishes. I want to roll out biscuits and drink coffee in the wee hours every day. I want to feel paper and pens and books. I want to mail letters and find letters in my box. I want to sew and crochet and make time for those who need this same respite from the world. I want you to pop by and I want to stop in. I want more time on the porch in the rocking chair with my people. I want to kick against AI hard, even though my day job is with a tech company. Oh, the irony. I want a few friends who have gone before me and some coming up after my girls to need me still, just a little. I want to make something.

Books?

I want to be an editor. And you know what? I can be. I already am.

I had this epiphany this morning as I felt a bit of imposter syndrome penning a “letter from the editor” for a project I’m dreaming on.

“Definition of ‘Editor’ –
1. One who edits.
2. A writer of editorials.”

— Websters New World Dictionary – 1966 Edition

My pastor often recites definitions of commonly-known words just to make the point that sometimes, though we know and use a word every day, we need to think a bit more contemplatively about their meanings, or — perhaps how a particular word’s meaning has evolved at the mercy of time and culture.

So as I was writing this morning, I thought about the word “editor.” It sounds somewhat fancy and we typically associate it with the publishing industry. But truly, aren’t we all editors of our own story? Perhaps we are not the authors; I personally give God the credit for authorship, but we each have a free will and reign over the chapters of our lives. And what do we do? We pencil outlines (plans), we revise, and refine. We’d probably like to erase, but maybe just tuck pages away or rip out to start fresh. We add to our stories. Sometimes we buy a whole new notebook to give it another go and shelve the previous chapters. We mark it up as we reflect on things gone wrong and highlight the parts that are worth re-visiting. I just find this line of thinking quite fascinating.

So, how will I edit the story of me in 2026? Per usual, I have so many ideas. And, a little more time than I’ve had in the recent two years — so we’ll see!

Hints: Dandy Hill Post, Post & Present, musings, snail mail and more!

2023: Digital Death vs. The Literary Life

This is the first time I’ve opened a computer in a week and honestly, it’s been simply wonderful to be untethered to the laptop/computer work. Now mind you, I’ve not been without my pocket computer (aka iPhone) and have sure enough logged plenty of hours on it, though probably less than a typical week. I’ve still checked in on Facebook and Instagram occasionally over the holiday break (I’ve been off work since last Thursday) and burned an hour here and there to the tune of 6 hours of my last week (I checked my stats, this is one sure-fire way to get humbled). I’ve used it for my Bible app, explored “books” and listened to audiobooks via my Scribd and Canon Press apps and of course, I’ve called, texted and taken lots of pictures.

Like most folks, I’m reflecting on 2022 and looking forward to 2023 to evaluate where I can make positive changes to improve, not only my own life, but inspire and spur on my kids and family on to better standard of everyday life. Spoiler, books are a major theme here. These last few years I’ve felt and seen the effects of how good and beautiful ideas form minds, both young and old. I’m living proof.

So for the sake of accountability, conversation and posterity, I give you some of my hopes and goals for 2023.

1. First, I seriously was considering dumping my iPhone and going to a dumb phone but I’ve landed the more practical conversion of my device into a wiser phone since there are apps I actually have to use for my job, business, etc. I have a bad habit of wanting to “multitask” constantly with the justification that I’m listening to the Bible app or edifying books. (Someone once told me, and I believe it’s true, “multitasking is just doing more things less well.”) I’ll fold laundry while listening to a podcast or cook with an audiobook going. These I can usually manage, but the truth is my mind reels constantly, is addicted to consumption/stimulation and needs a break from the stream of digital input. I have a tendency to be a glutton in every way and digital consumption is something I need to temper—deny my flesh. Are you here for it? Could you even imagine? What app could you just not live without on your smartphone? Mine would be the camera.

2. Looking back on this year, I’ve read A LOT. My favorites: everything I read by Wendell Berry and there were probably a dozen or so. (FUN FACT: Berry has written more than 40 books and does not own a computer.) Looking forward, I want to read more this year, catalog and build out my library. This “literary life” project is probably my biggest undertaking and inspired by the Charlotte Mason home education philosophy we started three years ago and a recent reminder by The Common Mom, Autumn Kern.

   Between my general love of books, volumes of books for Cash’s homeschool assignments and a desire to read through many classics myself, we own quite a few books tucked in several cases all over this house. This is going to require buying or building shelving in Cash/Scott’s office area to organize our stacks and create space to bring in a few more that I’m adding to my own wish list. And honestly, along the lines of dumbing down my tech use, I want to touch and feel more books because I think books are so valuable.

   I realized this past year when I started dabbling again in publishing design, first with a local startup publisher and then another boutique publisher, there’s a thread and theme of books in my life that has spanned the last 23 years. I’ll share more about that later, but suffice to say, I really treasure every facet of a book from the concept to the cover.

3. Third, and you may have noticed—I want to spend some time writing, blogging and documenting. I want to ponder, pontificate, wander and wonder aloud (or via written words at least). I want to give my brain some time to balance the screen time and digital input with more contemplative thought and outflow. I have notebooks and journals full of ideas and thoughts that I want to consider more thoroughly. While blogging on a computer/website is technically not death to my digital habit, I do plan on continuing my handwritten journaling practice using my Write the Word journals.

4. Another digital death I need to instigate is getting rid of various digital subscriptions. If you count the cost, these really can add up to a wasteful amount of money! Do I actually use them enough to justify the cost? I currently subscribe to Canon+, Patreon (The Commonplace and Joy Clarkson), CreativeBug, Scribd, Amazon Music, Amazon Prime, Dropbox, Squarespace and probably a couple more. Hmm. What are your can’t live without subscriptions?

5. Make more. As one whose job is online, plugged in and tethered, it’s imperative that I do life-giving tactile activities with my hands. These include stitching/embroidery, cooking, sewing, calligraphy, making books … anything where I can touch, feel, smell and experience the fruits of my labor with my senses.

Let’s do this! Today I’m going to start cataloging my books and cleaning out some closets. Sounds like a wonderful vacation, no? As you can see I’ve got my work cut out for me! These are just a few of our messy book spots I’ve got to work on.

In our entry (above), I’ve got a beautiful wood bookcase that’s a hot mess. I’d love to display classics and treasured volumes here. Upstairs, in my office (below), I have a lot of my Bible study books, planners and books I’ve helped design/create as well as a medley of randomness in two Ikea shelves. Cleaning my office is on the agenda.

Scott and I each have bedside table/bookshelves that have a super random half-read mix in for me. His is completely full, super dusty at the moment and mostly concordances, his Biblical studies and what not.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned[e] and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

— Philippians 4:8-9

Fire & Grace

You have to have a certain amount of fire but too much and you’ll burn up yourself and those around you. You have to give some grace, but how much is too much. I struggle with this especially in my role as a mama. What about you?

I was thinking about this quote through a Biblical lens because I like the quote but I just have to puzzle out if things like this are really God-honoring. Fire in her soul. The soul is that eternal piece of our being that will, ironically as it seems relative to this quote, be called into eternity with Christ or into the fire of hell. Just keeping it real here. Let’s think about this.

We definitely are called to be a light and burn hottest for God. The scripture says God is not interested in our lukewarm attempts in Revelations, so that does give us some context for the temperature of our relationship to God. Our soul should be bright and hot with the Holy Spirit within us and our zeal for seeking God first in our lives will produce this light and fire as evidence.