1. Pink is totally still my colour, even though I’m 40. And it’s possibly because of my childhood fascination with Jem and the Holograms. #magentahighlightsforever

2. Grieving does get easier. We marked the one year of Dad’s death in March, and it hurt. But it didn’t hurt as much as last year. I can look at his photo without feeling so sad now, which is good, and surprising, and a gift. #griefjourney

3. Grieving never ends. Our sweet girl asked me about a little photo of my Grandma Medd that sits on my craft desk. She asked about her and if she was in heaven now. My heart ached. When sweet girl told me that if I missed her, I could just look at the picture and talk to Jesus, I realized that grief never does wrap up. #griefjourney

4. Guys & Dolls is one of my favourite plays. Ever. #greatlivetheatreisstillthebest

5. Mother’s Day is my favourite (even though Valentine’s Day is a close runner-up.) #brunchandflowersandmypeople

6. My aversion to new technology is stupid. Setting up my new macbook was a whole lot easier than limping along for two years on one that didn’t work well anymore. #slowlearner

7. Preach it, Sister. Preaching and speaking and sharing my heart is part of the redemption story God is writing, and (quite possibly) it encourages me more than anyone I get to share my words with. #redeemedforapurpose

8. Time moves ridiculously fast, and I need to slow down to enjoy it – although I’m still trying to figure out how to do that. First year Kindergarten is wrapping up, and we’re almost half-way through 2017 and I don’t know how that happened. #slowdowntime

9. We all needed a cat, despite my beloved’s misgivings. Closely linked: learning that truly, anything is possible. #bengalcampaign2017

10. God is really, really fond of me. More fond of me, and patient with me, and in love with me by far than I am with my sweet girl. Grasping even a bit of this love means that I can be more brave and joyful than I thought possible. #revelationfromtheshack

11. It might not be cool, but I love my e-reader. Like, really love it. Hard copy books are collecting dust on my bedside table. #kobo

12. I need to create things. If I don’t, I feel depleted. In over-full seasons, I miss my craft room. Painting a piece of reclaimed furniture actually fills me up, although I’ve learned that 40 feels different than 30 when painting the third coat on at 10:00 p.m. #weekendwarrior

If you liked what I’ve learned so far this year, you might enjoy Holley Gerth’s thoughts, and Emily Freeman’s list.