Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. Here we are at the last weekend of 2024. Boy, this year flew by fast! I hope you have a chance to relax and get in some end-of-the-year visiting with your family.
Quote of the Week: “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.” –Simone Biles
Song for the New Year: As I tried to find the right song to articulate how to begin a new year, I found one that has been out since 2004: “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. This song is a reminder to me to dare to dream and do things I have always wanted to accomplish. I have made several writing goals for myself in 2025, and as the “Unwritten” lyrics state, it’s time to “Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.” I hope you’ll grab 2025 by the horns and make it your best year yet!
Joke of the Week: What is a spider’s New Year’s resolution? To spend less time on the web.
The Year in Review: For the last blog of 2024, I want to take the time to thank you for being here and reading the blog. I enjoy writing these snippets of life and hope that they have in some way encouraged you (or, at the very least, caused a chuckle or two to distract you from the seriousness of life). I mentioned in last week’s blog that I have stepped away from the education front and will now be even further rooted in my imagination as a freelance writer. It is a scary thought, but I am ready to see if I can make it.
Speaking of writing, this year I met my goal of sending my Christmas movie screenplay to Voyage Media and talking with an actual producer. I evidently had at least three storylines in my one screenplay, so if I decide to rewrite and resubmit it, I need to focus on just one storyline. I also finally published Return to Cedar Falls, after taking almost two years to write the book. My last untied loose end is a devotional for children (and adult children) from divorced families. My sister and I are cutting through it all and hope to have it uploaded by February 1.
On the home front, the Rhines family is doing well. We are all happy and relatively healthy.
As the slate becomes brand new, don’t stress about making those pesky New Year’s resolutions. I spent time this week planning out all of the goals I want to accomplish in the coming year—everything from physical goals to mental health, financial, educational, and business (writing) goals. Instead of trying to check them off all at once, I suggest you incorporate one a week (or in whatever time increment works best for you). In addition to things you want to change or improve, write down things you do well and see how you can expand on them in the coming year. Kindness, understanding, generosity, smiles, and hugs are all things the world needs more of…and I know you have them in buckets. I have always found that a positive outlook is helpful, too, in having a good experience. So, go forth, friends, and make this year one of the best years ever!
Recipe of the Week: I’m taking the week off from making new food but will have more ideas of delicious things to eat in 2025. I will start January off with some great crockpot recipes.
Shout-Out of the Week: This week, I want to give a shout-out to all of you who are faithful to support and read the blog for RiseUP Cooperative. Thank you for having a heart for teens and the other precious ones who are supported, encouraged, and strengthened by this nonprofit organization. Happy New Year!
Have a great weekend. Remember, you are most awesome, and YOU ROCK!
Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.