You are reading the 60th issue of Drawing Near, a newsletter to encourage connection and inspire you to live a less lonely life. Each week, you'll receive inspiration for connecting with God, yourself, and the people around you. To see previous issues, go to our newsletter page.

Today, instead of three quick ideas, I'm sharing my latest blog post. I hope it inspires you to make your own list of what you currently love! Find the post on my website here.

Connect with Yourself and Name What You Love

My Favorite Things and Moments from Winter 2026!

Keeping lists of what we love is a reflective practice that inspires joy. Because let’s face it, we don’t always look back with kindness. Often times, my “looking back” is when I’m up at night remembering that time I said something dumb, hurt a friend, or was hurt by someone else.

Naming what you love is a look at what makes your life easier, brings a smile to your face, and fills up your cup in your current season. It’s a way of connecting with yourself, and I believe connecting with yourself is one of the ways you can feel less lonely.

Making a list of what you love reminds you who you are.

I’m convinced we need reminders. As I look at my list today, I remember that I love to be creative, to read God’s word, to be celebrated, and yes, to play Tetris. I had forgotten how much I love to play Tetris until I received a text from my sister-in-law! I realized I had not played that game in years. Now it’s on my list, so one day I can remember again.

Here is my list of what I’ve loved in winter 2026:

Making Collages

In January, my kids missed two whole weeks of school because of ice on the roads. One day I got out all my old magazines that I keep for creative purposes, and we made collages. I did this growing up with my mom’s TV Guides and People magazines, now we’re using my Magnolia Journals.

I cut out pictures and words that made me think of the Bible study guide I’m writing. My two daughters came up with their own ideas. So much fun was had! I love making collages, but I rarely feel like making the mess that goes along with it. This was a great time to relax and leave our creative confetti all over the kitchen table.

Here is mine:

Slow Bible Reading Plan

At the end of last year, I finally finished reading through the Old Testament. Let’s just say it took me longer than a year, but less than six years. I like to read slow and let it simmer, taking notes a long the way. Plus my mornings are hectic with three school-aged children to wake up and nudge along to get ready.

So this year, I decided to follow a plan realistic to my reading process. I am reading the New Testament in one year, following The Bible Project plan on YouVersion. I’ve already gotten behind, but it’s so easy to catch back up when most days the reading is only half of a chapter. It even includes their videos for each book of the Bible as you come to it.

I use my large Illustrating Bible to take notes.

Birthday Dinner with Friends

February is my birthday month, and it’s my first born’s birthday month, so it kind of is my favorite month even though it’s usually cold, wet, and gray. This year, when my husband asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, I said the usual: He can grill dinner and we can have some cake. A quiet night at home is just fine.

But I added on, “I’d love to go out to eat with friends, just the adults, but everyone is so busy and I don’t want to bother them.” In that moment, I was too tired to think about logistics and trying to coordinate something. Luckily, my husband took it upon himself to “bother” our friends. I’m so glad he did, because I think we all enjoyed the night out away from our teens and tweens. Maybe I should bother my friends more often!

Playing Cards with My Mom

Because of the two birthdays in February, my mom came to visit. When she visits we play a lot of games. It’s hard to find someone in the house who will play games with me, but my mom and I enjoy our coffee and chocolate while we play games where we can relax and chat. This visit, our favorite was Phase 10.

Other times we’ve enjoyed Rack-O, Qwixx, Skip Bo, or Rummikub. When the whole family finally decides they’d like to join in, we usually play Aggravation or Uno.

Letting My Family Choose My Books

One night, the week before my birthday, my husband asked me if I wanted anything. Honestly, I have enough stuff. I actually told him, “What I really need is courage,” because I’m about to start doing something that I have dreaded for a while.

But then over dinner, I mentioned how I’d seen videos on Instagram of someone taking their wife to Barnes and Noble, and buying her as many books as she could carry! Then we joked about what if I had a timer, and as many books as I could pick out in a certain number of time, he would buy. And then I jokingly said, “What if! We all go to Barnes and Noble and you can each pick out a book you think I would like?!” My two bookish girls were immediately pumped. And so we did it.

They all did a pretty good job, based on covers and book blurbs. I think they know me well. Here’s the stack.

Tetris

My sister-in-law texted me one day saying that her husband found a Tetris game they could play and she was telling her boys how I was the Tetris champ back in the day when we played Tetris at their house (before marriage and kids). I thought, “Oh yeah, I was the Tetris champ.” And I laughed and joked about it with my kids.

Then my birthday came, and my son had bought me a gift—it was a Tetris game we can play together on the Nintendo Switch! I was stoked, and I have played the game almost everyday since then. Bad thing about being the champ, though, is no one wants to play with you.

Meal Plans from ChatGPT

If you don’t use ChatGPT or AI for your own personal reasons, I’m not trying to convince you to use it. But let me tell you, I have been using ChatGPT to help me with meal plans and it has been a life saver. I told ChatGPT my parameters (“I need meals that will help me keep my cholesterol and my blood sugar low, but I also have two picky children who will not eat vegetables”), and it spit out several meal ideas.

I started this because I was in a pre-diabetes virtual class that met periodically over the past year. The group setting was great for encouragement and accountability, but I have learned I need individual instruction to really make a difference. One week, I sent my weekly food log to ChatGPT, and asked for any changes it would recommend.

One change that it suggested that I actually followed was to change my breakfast. And after one week of eating the breakfast ChatGPT recommended, I lost a couple of pounds. Not because I was starving myself, but because it was healthier and more filling.

So far, every meal I’ve made from ChatGPT has been a winner. My favorite meals have been meals in a bowl so that all the ingredients are separate and everyone can add whatever items they like. A no brainer, but I needed a computer to tell me about it!

Tzatziki Dip

I remember trying Tzatziki dip many years ago at a friend’s house, and I became obsessed. I bought the large tub from Costco and enjoyed the fresh tasting dip for weeks. But I haven’t been to Costco in a long time, and I’ve never seen the dip at Kroger.

But when ChatGPT recommended some Tzatziki dip, I knew I had to find some, and sure enough, they had it at Kroger. I don’t know if they didn’t have it before, or I just never saw it. Now I know they have it near me, and I will always keep some in my fridge. It’s a low-calorie dip that is delicious on vegetables and meats.

Watching My Daughter Play in Her School Orchestra

This year is my daughter’s third year in her middle school orchestra. I love listening to them play. The past few weeks I’ve been able to watch them several times, and every time I am in awe of what they can play.

They are playing Conquistador in competition soon, and it is a delight to hear them play. She plays viola and this song is particularly fun as you can hear the alto and tenor instruments very well.

Spotify Audiobooks

A few years ago, I was only reading non-fiction books. I was in a season of learning and growing, and those Christian, spiritual reads were my guides (along with Scripture). But lately they’ve all sounded the same to me.

But lately, I’ve been listening to them, and Spotify audiobooks makes it easy for me. I enjoy listening to them more than sitting and reading them. I do miss that I can’t underline good quotes and save them to share with you, though.

My free Audiobooks+ subscription will expire soon, though. So maybe I’ll get back to physical copies of nonfiction soon.

I put links at the end of this post so you can see which ones I’ve loved recently.

Dutch Bros

I love a good coffee drink. I’m not picky as long as I can actually taste the flavors the coffee shop claims are in there. I often have high hopes for a new seasonal, flavored coffee drink, but then am disappointed when it doesn’t actually taste like a Snickers.

Enter Dutch Bros. They opened up shop in our town a few months ago. They have a bajillion flavors, so many I don’t think I could ever try them all. They have an abundance of sugar free syrups. They even have non-coffee drinks for my family members who prefer milkshakes and energy drinks.

My favorite drink so far is the Cocomo. It is not sugar free, and it only for when I want to indulge in a sweet treat. It is made with espresso, chocolate milk, and coconut syrup. And yes, I wanna sing the Beach Boys song every time I drink it.

All the Links

For your convenience, here are links to items I mentioned in this post. Amazon links are affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you.

Magnolia Journal

Read the New Testament in a Year from The Bible Project

CSB Spiral Bound Illustrating Bible I use for writing notes in my Bible

Christian Nonfiction Audiobooks I’ve loved:

And that’s a wrap! I’d love to hear what you’re loving this season.

Thank you for being here!