Looking Back on 2025 Grateful, Changed, and Still Thriving

As the clock winds down on December 31, 2025, I’m sitting here in the quiet glow of a fire in my fireplace, decorations, Christmas lights, and a few still unsent Christmas cards, feeling a profound sense of peace. The house still holds the scent of pine, cinnamon, and the last remnants of holiday cooking.

This year tested me deeply. A broken shoulder that slowed me but didn’t stop me, the shocking violence that took Charlie Kirk from us, the recent disclosures of Fraud in Minnesota, the ongoing noise of a world increasingly divided and chaotic.

Yet here I am, more clear-eyed, more alive, and more grateful than ever. Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday, and this year’s gathering was especially meaningful. Despite my shoulder still healing and limiting my stamina, we pulled it off beautifully. Twenty-two of us came together, almost all of my immediate family and their spouses, children, grandchildren, including our precious infant great-grandson, who stole every heart. I couldn’t handle all the cooking alone; my family stepped up, especially my oldest grandson, who is a fabulous chef. We had plenty of hired help in the kitchen. The tables overflowed, conversations sparkled, and the love in the room was palpable. Watching everyone laugh, argue gently, hold the baby, see the puppies, and simply be together reminded me why these large family gatherings are worth every effort.

They are the heartbeat of life. The holidays didn’t end there. Christmas brought more joy, with twinkling lights, lots of magnolia branches, a winter solstice party on the 21st, and we also celebrated five family birthdays in December. Two were special ones on the 23rd and 24th, and a grandson’s Golden birthday on the 30th, turning the season into a true whirlwind of cake, candles, and even more reasons to give thanks. On December 23rd, one of my granddaughters got engaged! She and her fiancé are planning their wedding for 2026.  Watching her glow with happiness, her young fiancé, proud of the beautiful engagement ring,  filled my heart to overflowing.

These milestones remind me how precious each day and each loved one truly is. This year also marked a more profound personal shift, a continued dive into what I’ve come to call “exiting the matrix.” I wrote about it in detail in October in EXITING THE MATRIX, A Journey Towards Truth and Self-Realization. The journey began decades earlier, and just grows stronger as life throws things my way. There is a growing refusal to accept mainstream narratives without question. This includes widely held views on what it means to age. Something truly changed in me this spring, as I shared in Something Has Changed. I decided to thrive, not fade.

That meant editing my life. Discovering the power of subtraction and addition as I explored in Edit Your Life, The Power of Subtraction and Addition. I subtracted draining habits, negative influences, and mindless consumption. I added more time for truth-seeking, quiet reflection, faith, and the people who truly matter. Health reflections played a big role, too. I have always questioned the influence of Big Pharma, and doctors prescribing medication for situational blood pressure spikes. Everyone must question the constant push for routine interventions. Be alert. These topics I touched on in Are You Healthy? and earlier in Anti-vax! Are you one, too?.

Choosing natural, autonomous approaches has brought clarity and strength. Surrounding myself with friends of strong character has been one of the greatest gifts, as I wrote in Friends Are The BEST. And my dogs? They remain my constant companions, reminding me daily of uncomplicated and unconditional love. Speaking of which, there is exciting news! My son’s dachshund had a beautiful litter of 7 puppies this fall. They’re growing fast, full of energy and sweetness, and will be ready for their forever homes any time after the middle of January 2026. If you or someone you know is looking for a loving, loyal companion, reach out. These little ones are pure joy. The year wasn’t all warmth, though. We lost Charlie Kirk in September, shot down for speaking truth and standing for faith in an age of cancel culture and one-sided violence. His assassination hit hard; it felt like a blow to free speech itself. I wrote about him as a martyr in Charlie Kirk: A Martyr for Free Speech and Faith…. It underscored how fragile our freedoms are and how vital it is to keep planting seeds of truth, even on hard ground. I’m grateful beyond words: to God for another year, for my health (bum shoulder and all), for an open mind, for the courage to question, for family, friends, dogs, and the freedom to live authentically in the second half of life. I’m thankful for the priceless luxuries we often ignore: running water, privacy, quiet moments, clean air, authentic connections, and the ability to choose what we want to focus on.

As we step into 2026, my prayer is simple: more subtraction of what weighs us down, more addition of what lifts us up. More truth-seeking, more perseverance, more planting of good seeds. I plan to keep writing, keep gathering my family, keep trusting in God’s bigger plan. We will keep celebrating new chapters like weddings, graduations, and maybe new babies on the horizon!

Thank you for walking this year with me. May your transition into the new year be filled with peace, hope, and the quiet knowledge that you are loved and capable of far more than you realize.

Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s to thriving in 2026 with engagements, weddings, puppies, and all the joy that comes with it!

With gratitude and anticipation,
Bonnie

Copyright©. 2025 Bonnie B. Matheson