The preparation for Christmas was different this year. I had a work trip the first week of December, so we didn’t decorate or get into the holiday spirit until later in the month. But once we started, we were full swing. One day, we went shopping for unique gifts in Carytown, a favorite activity of ours. We highly recommend the restaurant Botanya. Their pumpkin soup is one of my favorites, along with the Insalata Fresca. Close by is this eclectic store called Beasties. Parish was spending a long time looking through the Richmond photos in the back. As I wrapped up my final sweep through the store, I went back to see what interested him, and this is what he found, framed and given to me for Christmas!

Among all the random pictures in the photo bin, I couldn’t believe they had this building in Richmond, Piccola Italy. Piccola means “Little.” Parish and I would eat here most days while dating and attending VCU. It was directly across from the business building where we studied and lived at the time – well, it felt that way. We would head there for a slice of pizza and a drink, and head back to class. It was during those times of getting to know each other that we began to learn and grow in our relationship. Almost 40 years later, the building remains in place, serving the college students of today. We happened upon it one night a few years ago, and the owner shared that our visits in the 80s coincided with his early days of opening the restaurant. He was young then, like us, and it was great to see how we’ve all aged and look back together.

My oldest daughter sent me this quote:

“It’s wild to think there’s only a tiny sliver of life when everyone you love is alive at the same time, right alongside you. The ones who held you, the ones you now hold. If you are in that season, you’re living inside something precious. Let it sink in.”

Those years and the ones that followed became our sliver, as the season moved into loved ones transitioning to heaven. It’s odd to think of my aunts, uncles, dad, and siblings, and the time we were all alive together, living this life, sharing laughter and stories that now feel like echoes in the halls of my memory. I often find myself wandering through those moments, feeling the warmth of their presence wrap around me like a comforting blanket, reminding me that even as time slips away like grains of sand, the bonds we formed remain eternal. Time seems like a whisper sometimes, gentle and fleeting, coaxing us to cherish every second we have, to hold tight to the love that once filled our gatherings, and to honor those we’ve lost by continuing to live fully.

What pictures, either material or in your mind, bring up that sliver of time for you? At the start of a new year, how can we nurture our relationships and create memories filled with love and grace?

Our church encourages us to prayerfully consider a “word” for the year. My word, after much prayer, is celebration. I thought of each month of the year and how, in each month, there is something to celebrate, whether it is a holiday, birthday, anniversary, or the arrival of a new baby. With intention, I’m asking God to help me celebrate life.

What would be your word? What does that look like in your life?

Celebration verses:

Purposeful and Abundant Living

• John 10:10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”.
• Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”.
• Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31: “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”.
• Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” 

God’s Plan and Faith

• Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope”.
• Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding”.
• Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…”
• Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me”. 

Value of Life

• Psalm 139:13-14: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb”.
• Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image…”
• Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” 

Overcoming Struggles

• Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself”.
• Isaiah 40:31: “…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles”.
• 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. 

Wisdom for Daily Life

• Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind”.
• Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”