A Year of Renewal
January often arrives with the pressure to reinvent ourselves—new resolutions, new habits, new goals. But true renewal is rarely about starting from scratch. Instead, it’s about taking what we’ve lived, learned, and loved in the past year and letting those experiences shape a wiser, more intentional path forward.
As we step into 2026, we invite you to view this moment not as a blank slate, but as a continuation of a story already in motion.
Reflect for a moment on the past year within your home.
What strengthened your family life?
What habits or traditions brought joy, peace, or unity?
What small choices helped you feel more present, organized, prayerful, or connected?
These are gifts worth carrying with you—anchors that deserve to be honored and continued in the new year.
At the same time, renewal invites us to acknowledge the areas that proved challenging. Perhaps certain routines consistently left you rushed or overwhelmed. Maybe your home felt more chaotic than you hoped, or time for conversation and rest became rare. Instead of sweeping these frustrations aside or attempting a dramatic overhaul, consider this a call to mindful adjustment. What small, realistic shifts can lighten the load? What can be simplified, restructured, or let go entirely?
This kind of renewal—steady, reflective, and hopeful—builds a home that grows stronger year by year. It allows us to begin again without discarding the wisdom we’ve already gained.
As you welcome January, take time to walk through your home with fresh eyes and an open heart. Celebrate the progress you made in 2025. Learn from what didn’t serve you. And let this new season be a gentle, grace-filled renewal of the home and family life you are building with love.
Here’s to a new year rooted in reflection, strengthened by gratitude, and open to the beauty of growth.
Inspiration for Your Home in 2026
Looking for some guidance on creating bright, cheerful, happy homes in 2026? Here are some of our favorite books and resources on homemaking that cover both the practical and spiritual aspects of home life.
The Thoughtful Home – Dia Boyle
A practical and reflective guide to creating a home that truly serves your family’s well-being. Boyle explores the purpose of the home and offers thoughtful principles for shaping its routines, spaces, and atmosphere.
Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday – Noelle Mering & Carrie Gress
A beautifully photographed book that blends theology, reflection, and practical insight to help readers see the spiritual meaning of home and build spaces that lead hearts toward God.
Home Comforts – Cheryl Mendelson
An encyclopedic yet readable guide to housekeeping. Mendelson covers everything from cleaning and laundry to hospitality and home maintenance, making the domestic arts both understandable and dignified.
Home: How Habitat Made Us Human – John S. Allen
A fascinating look at why “home” matters from an evolutionary and psychological perspective. Allen explains how our deep need for a place of our own shapes human behavior and well-being.
Dependent Rational Animals – Alasdair MacIntyre
MacIntyre explores how humans thrive through a balance of independence and mutual dependence. A powerful reflection on the role of relationships, care, and community in human flourishing.
