I can’t remember the last time I made a TOP TEN list of any kind but the other day while reminiscing about this year, I had a wild thought about some of my favorite (and not so favorite) things from 2025 and thought it would be a fun exercise to take the time to recount and reflect in a list form. Top Ten lists are always a challenge because the truth is I actually don’t have normal favorites of anything because the status of “favorite” is always met with a hundred caveats around the specific circumstances of the category in question. For example, when someone says, “what’s your favorite color?” I immediately counter with, “favorite color for what?”, because my favorite color of clothing is not my favorite color for upholstery or wall paint, etc. If you ask me to name my favorite city, or food, or dog breed, or movie, I am going to ask a lot of clarifying questions, want specific details about how, and when, and where, and then tell you after all of that, that I don’t have just “one favorite”.
So, with all that said, here is my favorite-ish list of Top things from 2025.
(Please note that all “favorites” are subject to change without warning or specific cause.)
Top Song: “Downstairs” by Twenty One Pilots. This song is a heartfelt return to their roots, but with the polish of seasoned musicians who’ve lived some life and aren’t afraid to wrestle with faith and doubt. It’s been playing on repeat here since the release of their Breach album, and I make no apologies for it.
Top: Outfit: these super-special pants paired with any kind of hoodie or sweater. These were a very recent discovery, but I am proselytizing their goodness to any and all who will listen. I am not an affiliate, just someone who believes in sharing! Runner up: These fun Sequin Shorts. (See exhibits A (the pants) and B (the shorts) below).
Top Book: Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention, by Sarah Clarkson. I read this right at the top of 2025, and I’m considering reading it again as we enter the New Year. It was like a slow, long-overdue exhale for my soul.
Top Most Disturbing Book: Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six, by Matthew Cole. This book deserves its own whole post, but today is not that day so I will just leave this here and tell you that this story made me want to set my own hair on fire for the outrage it triggered in me. Runner up (that had a similar rage-inducing effect): The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, by Seth Harp.
Top Meal: Braised Short Ribs with Mascarpone Risotto and Red wine demi-glace at Napa Kitchen & Bar. I had this while on a date with my husband and have been trying to recreate it at home ever since. This last time, I got real close. (When I perfect it, I’ll share my recipe).
Top Waste of Time: Social Media, specifically, Instagram & Facebook. I intend to cut WAY back on these platforms in 2026. Again, there’s more to say about this but for now, I can feel the manipulation happening and I am not here for it.
Top Moment of 2025: This is one of those that needs a hundred qualifiers because I could name many top moments, but for now, watching my girl win First Place at the BPA National competition. She and her team worked so hard and they deserved every accolade they’ve received so far, including just today, an official commendation from the Ohio House of Representatives! Runner Up: Receiving our nonprofit status from the IRS. This was a long, slow road, but this is a huge answer to prayer and is a major boost in our efforts to bring Tending Place to life!
Top Activity: Hands-down, hosting Art workshops and working as a Creative Mentor has fed my soul more than almost everything else this year. The art table is a holy altar for me, and for the women who gather around it with me, and it is a profound privilege to witness outward glimpses of deep, holy, inner-work that God does in that space.
Top Personal Failure: This one’s a twofer, and no doubt they are connected: 1.I didn’t read as much Scripture as I wanted to this year, and, 2. I frittered away way too many precious hours of my life, online (Including reading too many news articles.) (See #6).
Top Personal Achievement: Holding the long-awaited Women’s Devotional Bible, The Message in my hands (I have 2 devotions included in it) and completing my certificate in Therapeutic Arts.
Your favorite photo in my Instagram feed:
This year—like the last several—has been punctuated by some pretty serious lows,—globally, culturally, politically, professionally, spiritually, relationally, and personally—and for the sake of this post, I will pocket those for another time, but I need to—for my own sake—bless the ways the Light has broken through the darkness, and say, before God, and the whole company of Heaven, that through it all, God remains faithful. This isn’t just my belief, it is also my experience. While the world turns in on itself, God remains as Present as ever. I know this because I’ve seen miracles this year.
Whatever 2025 has held for you, friends, I pray that you’re able to name it all before God and a community that can bless and lament with you as the situation so requires. I pray that you surround yourself with people who can hold the Goodness and the Hard, alike. And that if you’re looking for a community, that God would situate you in one, post haste. And hey, If you’re in the Columbus OH area, reach out. All of it matters. All of it counts. None of it is wasted.
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