Last day of the year. What truly matters?

It’s the last day of the year.

Some are making plans.

Some are feeling the pull of the year ahead.

Some are thinking a lot.

Some don’t quite know what to think.

And that’s normal.

For parents, the year has been full in very ordinary ways.

For our partners and friends, it has been a year of walking alongside.

So before the calendar turns, it helps to pause and ask:

What truly mattered?

At Little Olive Tree, we often return to a simple picture—a tree.

This year, what mattered was being rooted in truth.

Not perfect answers, but doing what is right.

Keeping our word. Treating people well.

Giving children something steady to stand on.

What mattered was growing in beauty.

Not beauty that impresses,

but beauty found in curiosity, creativity, and joy.

And what mattered was bearing goodness.

The everyday kind.

Learning to wait. To share. To care.

Choosing kindness in small ways.

Children may not remember the details of this year.

But they will remember how it felt.

Whether they were heard.

Whether they felt safe and valued.

If our children are a little more grounded,

a little more curious,

a little more kind

then something good has grown.

That is what truly matters.

So as we step into the new year, we don’t ask for a bigger, faster or louder season - we ask to be planted well.

May the fruit that grows in our children be the kind that lasts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Blessed 2026.