Word of the year 2026? Here we go.

I don’t always jump on this bandwagon, as is evidenced by the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever shared a Word of the Year here. God and I do tend to focus on themes though, and I can see that as I look back on the past decade as He’s grown my understanding of His power, grown our family, and grown my need for Him.

As 2025 wrapped up, I was made very much aware of a focal point for the past 12 months we just walked through. It was a full year in ways I didn’t expect, but a year that provided us with so much of what we’d been begging God to provide.

Answers

I declared Answers to be my word of 2025, and yeah, I landed there in the twelfth month of the 2025 because I’m not normal. But we all already knew this.

As I reflected on all the answers God has provided for us during a somewhat grueling 2025, I simultaneously recognized what would be a needed theme for 2026. It’s not a pretty word or one that makes sense for most. But it’s what I need, and I trust God will provide it.

Word of the Year 2026

God made it very clear at the start of 2025 that I would not be able to do all of the advocating, appointment making, and assessment taking without setting aside pretty much everything else, including down time. Finding doctors, setting up and executing appointments, filling out questionnaires, assessments, and paperwork, starting new therapies, working with the schools to settle in our kids and revamp IEPs and 504 Plans, welcoming ABA therapists into our home – it has taken an extreme level of energy and such a large chunk of time every day that it has been all consuming.

The reality is that the advocating will never end. The appointments won’t stop. Therapy is really just beginning. Our kids’ needs are huge. So I’m not deceiving myself into thinking, “Oh yay, 2025 is over and 2026 will be so much easier.” HAHAHA. That’s not true for any one of us. At our house, the work load we face daily is incredibly intense.

But within all of this, what does need to happen for my heart, my body, my mind, and my spirit is a time of recovery.

The work it took to get our kids to this point has been more than a full time job. I am very tired. Tired in a way that is hard to explain and is not sustainable.

I’m not worried, nor should you be. I’m ok because God is faithful. He led us to this specific Kingdom work and He hasn’t abandoned us. Quite the opposite – He is so beautifully in this.

But my goal for the upcoming months is to continue to do all that I need to do for my family while also finding more ways to rest, breathe, sit, sleep, relax, and be at peace. So my Word of the Year 2026 is:

Recover

Is this even possible?

Yes, with God, it is. Of course it is. Here’s what He’s already doing for us…

• We’re establishing Mondays as a recovery day of sorts when our friend Emma comes over for several hours to help with the kids who aren’t in school yet.
• We’ve already set aside appointment-free and work-free Friday afternoons so that Matt and I can spend time in the quiet together before the kids come home from school.
• Our Sundays are the most beautiful and life-giving days of each week when we worship with our family, host a lunch in our home with dear friends, and sit with our community group to sharpen and grow each other. It’s hard to explain how this is truly recovery time for us when it is so people-filled and while we are hosting a large lunch gathering in our home. It’s just that Matt and I spend so much time caring for high need children that spending our time with loving adults who pour into us and our family in our home is richer and more fulfilling that just about any other thing I can think of.

• Time with our grandbabies has been extra precious because we get to love on them and enjoy them in ways that bring us so much joy! Yes, our home is filled with children – but grandbabies are different. It’s hard to explain. But loving on them is such a gift, and it softens my heart and mind in ways that gives me energy and strength.

More Ways to Recover

I’ve been praying about what changes we can make so that we can spend some time in recovery. God is very good at providing in ways I can’t figure out on my own. So this time next year, it will be delightful to share with you so much of what He did for us that we didn’t think of ourselves!

Meanwhile, some things I’m brainstorming about:

• Afternoon naps. I need them sometimes. But if I take a nap, that means something else has to be let go. So that might mean…
• More frozen pizza. Or rotisserie chickens. Or whatever else takes some of the kitchen work load off.
• Supplements. I’m experimenting with something that seems to be helping me sleep better at night. Plus, I’m taking some great vitamins to help me stay as healthy as possible overall.
• Help. We are looking at more of our daily work needs and home repair needs that we can hire out or offload so that we can spend our energy differently to meet our kids’ needs and our own needs.
• Appointments. As in – there are several appointments that I need that I’ve been putting off simply because I haven’t been able to make one.more.phone.call. I’m going to prioritize these now, starting with scheduling a massage with gift certificates I’ve been holding onto for a few months! Can I get an amen?
• Dates. We are figuring out more ways we can get away for alone time together, just Matt and me, so that we can have respite.
• Laughter. We’ve been talking with our adult kids and their significant others about somehow getting together every few months to play games without littles around. We’ll have to move a few mountains to make this happen, but laughing with our older kids is extremely life-giving for all of us. So move over mountains. I need laughing therapy.
• Writing. Oh how I miss writing. When Emma comes on Mondays, we are trying to block out some of those hours for me to spend time writing. It’s so therapeutic for me!

Whatever God provides for recovery, I look forward to experiencing His goodness and faithfulness for us. I’ll keep you posted throughout the years as specific recovery needs are met.

Meanwhile, Arrow’s amazing cheeks provide joy in a way that resets me every time. And Little Sweetheart gives actual kisses to Lolli now. So, yeah, I’m recovering very well already.

Do you have a word for 2026? What has God been doing to show His goodness in your life?