Wrangler Dani

I like writing lists – ideas for new adventures, looking back on what I’m grateful for, hope as I teeter on the edge of a new year. Usually, on my birthday, I like to try to peer into the future, and list out my hopes for what’s to come and the lessons I’ve learned on the way.

But today, as I turn the big 3-0, I feel powerless to engage in my usual predictions or to pull some useful lesson from 29. Twenty-nine was a rollercoaster, a close-your-eyes-and-jump kind of year that I’m still gasping from, and I have a feeling that we’re teetering at the tippy-top of another duck and roll, so I’m not taking my seatbelt off just yet.

So, 30. What am I wishing for and grateful for as I enter a new decade, despite the hairpin turns that are sure to come?

I’m wishing for solidity, a home to call my own and a community that fills it with laughter. I’m grateful for the homes we’ve already laughed in, for the community we have (even from afar!) and the hope that keeps us searching, yearning and loving the life we have. I’m wishing for the next generation of Nicholses, and grateful for yet more adventurous outings and snug nights, as we enjoy our “just the two of us” life. I’m oh-so-grateful for a God who sees all of our desires, and who holds my thirties in the palm of his hand. If 30 is half the year 29 was, at least I won’t be bored!