I was probably the happiest among friends to see the end of 2025, one of the hardest years of my life. Somehow, many moving pieces came together in time for me to welcome in a new year. I am in the relative state of being caught up. I say this with caution in case there was one forgotten detail after all. 2025 started out with the theme of "hope", and that was the theme of my recent Christmas blog post. This year's theme is "joy".
Over the holidays (thank you Christmas and New Year's Day for being on a Thursday), I took advantage of 2 long weekends to go first to Colorado to be with family. Then after a brief intermission of work earlier this week, I got in the car with my dog and drove up to Connecticut to spend time with my sister and her family. I am sitting in their house and enjoying the quiet afternoon rest time, looking out the window and thinking about how time here helped me settle on what I was hoping for as I searched for my own house 25 years ago. After journaling out my list of "must haves, should haves, and would-ideally haves", I finally found a house that met with each specification. It was one time in my life when I really felt like God was looking out for me.
Though a recent survey suggested that 70% of Marylanders said they would not be making any new year's resolutions, I have always been a resolutions person. Lately, I've come up with about ten per year. This year, I am recycling a couple of resolutions. For example, I am still trying to reduce my use of plastics (which turn out to be not as recyclable as one might have thought). I am also trying to reduce my intake of processed foods. I am definitely a work in progress in these areas, but I remain motivated. Because my niece is getting married in Spain this Spring, I have resolved to relearn Spanish, trying to practice with Babbel every day. It is not as easy as I had remembered!
I haven't had a chance to journal out my other resolutions, but I am confident they are coming. A big wish/resolution is to be able to hire another internal medicine doctor this year. We had hoped to do this last year, but it was not meant to be. We are not in a rush, as it is vital for us to find someone who is a good fit for both the team and the practice. It is said that my generation of physicians are workaholics. That would seem true by appearances, but the reality is that I have been working harder and longer hours than I would prefer for a few too many years. Doctoring well and running a practice is hard work; thus, it makes a world of sense for us to grow the practice to spread some of the leadership responsibilities across a small team of physicians. This growth will allow us to operate out of our strengths.
Entering into the 14th month of treatment for breast cancer, I am ready for it to be over. My final treatment with Kadcylla is in 6 days. It will take a few weeks for the chemo to do its final job and work its way out of my system. I look forward with joy to the restoration of my health. I am grateful for every day that I feel well and for having the energy to travel over the holidays. I look forward wtih joy to the practice of medicine, grateful for the rare privilege of doing what I love and loving what I do. Singing with the worship team and picking up my guitar again have been ways to infuse the joy of music. Connection with friends and family is also one of the greatest sources of joy. Most of all, I rest in the joy of being fully known and fully loved by God through Jesus Christ. Jesus: both my hope and my joy.
May 2026 be a year that brings you joy. Joy to Creation. Joy to your family, our country, and to people from every nation and tribe. Joy to the World!
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