Reflections on a Hard Year: Prayers for Understanding for the new!

 The turn of the calendar brings with it a bittersweet mixture of reflection and hope. Last year’s burdens felt like an unrelenting storm, a tempest that tested not just my endurance but also my faith. Each day seemed longer than the one before, and each night was filled with whispered prayers—pleas for relief, peace, and understanding. Sometimes, those prayers felt like they disappeared into the void. Yet, they were the only thread that kept me tethered to hope.

I’ve recently found solace in the simplicity of haikus. Their compact elegance has a way of expressing the inexpressible, of condensing emotions too large for prose into three short lines. As I reflect on the past year and look ahead, this haiku poured out of me: Through the tears of a rough year! 

A year of trials,
Heavy storms and quiet grief,
Each day stretched so thin.

Night brought restless prayers to God,
Seeking mercy, peace, and strength.

Now a new year dawns,
Shadows lift with fragile hope.
Still, I bow and pray—
"Lord, please lighten this year's load,
Carry me when steps grow faint."

There is something cathartic about putting words to the weight of suffering, even in such a small form. It’s a way of acknowledging what has been, without letting it define what is to come. Last year, the storms of life seemed endless. Whether it was the unpredictable waves of mental illness, the strain of caregiving, or the quiet grief of unspoken losses, the burdens were heavy.

But the dawn of a new year carries a fragile but persistent hope. Like the first glimmer of sunlight breaking through storm clouds, it reminds me that no storm lasts forever. Each moment of struggle has been met by God’s grace—sometimes evident, sometimes hidden, but always present. And so, I bow again to pray, not for an easy path but for the strength to keep walking. I ask for a lighter burden but also for the courage to carry whatever this year brings.

As I step into this new chapter, I hold onto the promise that God’s mercies are new every morning. Perhaps this year will bring fresh challenges, but I know it will also bring moments of grace, joy, and love. For now, I choose to let hope whisper softly, and I trust in the One who has carried me through every storm before.