2021 Reflections and My Word for 2022

On December 31, 2020, I wanted the new year to bring an end to the pandemic and the social upheaval and the political unrest that was everywhere. But the start of a new year doesn’t change everything. It doesn’t even change a lot. In fact, the only thing that the new year is guaranteed to change is the calendar.

And here we are. About to turn the calendar from 2021 to 2022. And it’s time for me to do another “reflections” blog post. So here goes.

My word for 2021

This year’s word was REST (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG). Despite a very busy year, I dwelled in that rest of Jesus throughout the year. Even when some difficult things came my way, that sense of rest lingered. A sense of peace and calm prevailed, and I felt truly blessed.

Bible Reading and Study

Although my normal Bible reading plan called for me to read through the Bible in 2021, I felt the need to stay in the New Testament. “More of Jesus,” was the refrain in my heart. So I used four different translations and read through the New Testament four times.

For Bible study, I lead a new Life Group through Kristi McLelland’s wonderful Jesus & Women in the First Century and Now (I studied it the first time in 2020). Next, my Life Group took up What It Means to Be Chosen, a study based on Season One of The Chosen. We will wrap up the final sessions in January. And finally, after a year off, I rejoined Bible Study Fellowship. The current study is of the Book of Matthew which I have completed twice through BSF. In fact, Matthew was the study I did in my first year of BSF (2000-2001). So all three of these studies have continued the “more of Jesus” theme.

2021 Releases and WIPs

Two books released in 2021: Even Forever (May) and Make You Feel My Love (July).

My WIPs (works in progress) for 2021 included Even Forever, I’ll Be Seeing You (June 2022), and my November 2022 release which is titled but I’m not sharing just yet as it’s too soon. I am currently working on revisions for that book which will be my 86th release.

Favorite Movies/Shows of 2021

I finally made it back to the movie theater in 2021, but only two times. In early December, I went to see Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers and on Christmas Day, I saw the new Spielberg version of West Side Story. The first put me in the Christmas spirit in such a joyous way it is hard to describe. The second made me cry at the end, which was completely unexpected since I knew what was coming, having seen the original many times.

I watched more movies on my television via streaming services than I want to confess, and some of the movies were first run films that also debuted on HBO Max. Here’s the bad thing: either because I watched at home on my TV or because they were okay but not amazing, I didn’t track my viewing and so have nothing to report. I’m sure there were at least a few that were good enough I would normally share, but they are gone from my mind. (Can I blame pandemic brain?)

But I can say that I watched every Season 2 episode of The Chosen as they released, and rewatched them multiple times (along with Season 1 episodes) as I waited for the next episode. It’s been and continues to be a long wait before Season 3 will be filmed and released. Hopefully they’ll arrive in the summer of 2022.

Five Star Reads of 2021

I read 69 books this year, almost doubling my goal of 36. Among them were seventeen 5-star reads. A few were books I read for the second or third (or more) times.

• New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen
• Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
• Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
• The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron
• A Student’s Guide to History by Jules R. Benjamin
• Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce by John Piper
• A Piece of the Moon by Chris Fabry
• A Woman of Words by Angela Hunt
• A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
• Super Structure: The Key to Unleashing the Power of Story by James Scott Bell
• Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Life in General

• Like everybody else, I am weary of the pandemic, of new strains of the virus, of shut-downs and threatened shut-downs.
• Social distancing and (mostly) lack of travel are good for one thing. I didn’t have so much as a cold this year.
• My one and only trip was to my annual retreat up in northern Idaho, something that was cancelled in 2020. It was so good to be with my writing sisters in Christ. It was our 18th retreat together and such a blessing. We worshipped more, we shared more, we laughed more. It was wonderful.
• I completed another seven credits in my bucket list college journey: Physical Geography and Lab in the spring and History Through Biography in the fall.
• The family learned we have the blessing of a new baby arriving in February, a boy this time. The last time (when Adaline was born), I came home from the hospital and slipped on ice and wrecked my shoulder. I’ll be a lot more careful for this February baby. (Photo below is of the little darling who arrived 3 years ago this coming February; she’s the cousin of the little guy who’s on his way.)

My Word for 2021

HOPE

Despite being weary about the condition of the world we live in, I begin 2022 with hope. How can I do otherwise as a daughter of the King? And “hope” is the word that God has given me for 2022.

“and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
(Romans 5:5, NASB95)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
(Ephesians 1:18, NASB95)

Throughout 2022, I plan to dwell on the hope that Christ has given me. Perhaps you’ll choose to do the same.

May 2022 bring you another step closer to the One who is our hope.

~robin