Happy New Year to You and Yours

 

Happy 2025 to you, one and all. I hope this year brings you all happiness and prosperity in whatever it is you do. I'll be honest. I'm so glad 2024 is over. It wasn't a horrible year, but I did get to a point where I felt like "Oh, this is what we're doing now? Okay." 

I have a lot of ideas for 2025. I've spent most of my Christmas vacation working on making some stuff to put in my online shop. I've been making handmade gift tags and greeting cards. I also make a lot of embellishments for people who make junk journals. I'm hoping to get that up off the ground and bring in a little extra money.

2024 was a trying year for me. I got divorced from my husband of 10 years (hubby #2). We're still friends, we just suck at being married. I was in a minor accident and had no choice but to get a new car. I needed it, don't get me wrong. My previous vehicle was on its last leg anyway. I just wasn't ready to put myself into that much debt.

I did have some high moments as well. I was celebrated by the company I work for as I hit the "10-year employee" milestone. Might not sound like much, but it was a major pat on the back for me. I got to rekindle a relationship with my youngest granddaughter. She's been through a lot in her short 9 years of life. Please keep her in your prayers. And I got to meet my online bestie, face to face. She's even more amazing than I ever dreamed.

Throughout the entire year, I've learned a lot about myself. I'm 56. I didn't think there was any more I could learn about myself. Turns out I'm a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for being. Last New Year's, I was figuring out how to support myself and a granddaughter (my oldest granddaughter lives with me). I was dealing with a failed marriage, juggling my finances, and a lot of low self-esteem issues. Here it is a year later and I've learned that I can do this on my own, I just need to remember who I am.

I'm not making any New Year's resolutions. The last time I made a resolution, it was that I'd never make another New Year's resolution, and to date, it's the only one I've ever succeeded at. I won't say "I'm going to do this", but will wait a bit so I can say, "I did that". I have a plan, I just have to make sure I've got the gumption. (Yes, I still use words like that, I'm old).

I pray you all find love and prosperity in the coming year. Thank you to those who have stopped by and read any of my posts. You make me smile. I hope I'm doing the same for you. One of the things I'm hoping to do is get my newsletter up and running again so you can be notified of new posts. Wish me luck. For some reason, I really suck at newsletters. LOL

So, if you've read this far, Happy New Year. Just knowing you were here means my year is already a success. 

Blessings to you and yours,
Miss Chris

~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes, and currently writes for a platform called Medium.com  where she runs several publications. 

Christine is an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures and another that showcases her AI artwork called Pathways through the Past. 

Be sure to sign up for the Graves Publications newsletter to stay up with all the latest news.