What Makes A New Year Happy?

Happy New Year! The traditional big glass ball dropped on Times Square and “Auld Lang Syne” was sung once again! As a goal setter and one who likes to “raise the bar,” regroup, reprioritize, and reload, and as a parent, the Christmas/New Year’s break was always a great time for me to take a serious look at how I was doing and how I could improve the family experience in my home.

What makes a new year happy?

The first thing a young sprinter learns in track is to keep his or her eyes on the finish line and never look over the shoulder. If Lot’s wife could still speak, she’d remind us that looking back will change your appearance. I’m still trying to fathom God’s ability to forget our past sins and fling them into oblivion as far as the east is from the west! His pattern has got to be our pattern in effective family relationships.

What happened in 2025 is history? We dealt with it. We disagreed. We disciplined, and “thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord … therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:25 – 8:1).

If you’re having trouble getting past what a family member did to hurt you in 2025, REALLY get on your knees, and REALLY place it in the shadow of the cross, where it belongs. Study and meditate on Romans 8, Psalm 46, Psalm 51, Psalm 145, and Luke 23. A great Christian counselor can be super helpful in the navigation process for many of us. Focus on the Family (1-800-A-FAMILY) is always available to get you connected if your family is in need of counseling. They even have a great marriage-family crisis center right here in Branson that has AMAZING results!

Forgetting is bliss. But there is one thing you do want to do with 2025 before you toss out that well-used calendar. Take a minute and count the blessings! Stand amazed at the number of crises God pulled you through. Gaze at His faithfulness! I look back at last summer and see Kamp kids so filled with joy and happy memories. I can’t begin to count the smiles and moments of accomplishment, and I only had them for a few precious days!

In my home, our family fought so many battles when our kids were growing up. But, wow, how God got us through them! It just tickles me to death to look back and see how He turned all the short-term defeats into long-term victories.Counting our blessings not only makes good poetry, but it also creates a really happy heart. Shred the dark experiences and enshrine the good ones. Shred the disappointments and frame the highlights. Shred the bitter relationship experiences and celebrate the happy times. That’s what makes a new year happy. That’s how a fresh start becomes a hope-filled beginning!

I recall the time a really good friend called, literally sobbing on the phone. This dear fellow had been blessed with great success in his profession, but he had just returned from taking his oldest daughter to college. She was the first to leave home. She was his “best buddy.” Her departure had cut his heart out.

I listened and empathized with memories of similar pain from when I took the long drive to college with each of my four kids. Those were some of the most difficult days of my life. I didn’t think my body could produce so many tears! As a parent, the days are long, but the years are short. If I allow the difficulties of being a parent to swallow up my moments with my kids, I’ll miss the wonder and fulfillment of it all.

In 2026, the truly great, blissful moments may be many, or they may be few, but capture everyone and savor them like a sip of Gatorade after a long aerobic workout. Take a picture of the precious moments that slip in and out of every day and hang those pictures on the “hall of gain” of your heart. Enjoy ‘em like a cherry Lifesaver. Ponder ‘em like a Slo Poke caramel lollipop!

As you may know, I’ve had my struggles with health issues. But I love the fact that they’ve always been great reminders of what really matters. Our days with kids at home are so short and so much the best days of our lives.  Too bad it often takes illness to fix our priorities and remind us how God and family are EVERYTHING. Nobody grabs their Mastercard or checks their eyeliner when an airplane is going down! (Trust me, I’ve been there!) We cling to our faith and lace our fingers in the hands of those we call family. Life is such a vapor.

This year, resign from something. Step down from something. Say no to something that takes “just a little more time” away from home. Replace that time with a family vacation, a week at a family kamp, an hour a day to invest in a hobby with a child. Study math together. Learn piano together. Paint together. Do a jigsaw puzzle together. Take a Bible verse a day and discuss it together. Take an extra night together and go to dinner, or grab a bag of popcorn and a good, clean movie. This Christmas our family completed a jigsaw puzzle at the breakfast table. Oh, the precious little hands of grandkids working together! (Except for that one last piece, of course.) I’m always amazed by how the ‘little things’ done together create the greatest memories.

We will all look back at this new year 2026 and measure the width of our smiles by how we prioritize our time between the creative family times and other things that fill the pages of our calendars.

I hope this letter is helpful. I know painfully well how challenging these momma and daddy days can be. Let me know how I can be more helpful.

Sincerely in Christ,

Joe White

P.S. I have turned the corner and am headed for summer with all-out excitement. “Januaryfebruarymarchaprilmay” is the shortest month of the year, and my team and I are getting REAL fired up for summer! We are in full get-ready-for-Kamp mode and building steam for the staff and kids to come into our gates so God can do His amazing work once again!