A Mother’s Notes Welcoming the New Year

New year is here again. As usual, he never knocked on the door or asked if we were ready. He just came, sneaking into the house with the smell of morning and the sound of chickens breaking the silence. At the simple dining table, while waiting for the water to boil for coffee, I stared pensively at the calendar that needed to be replaced. The numbers change, but the question remains the same: have we really changed, or just moved the date?

As a mother, I realize that my job is not just to make sure the family has food, clothing, and shelter. More than that, it is to be a guide. Direct, without feeling like you know best. Showing the way, without forcing everyone to walk to the same rhythm. Life is too vast to be completed in one way; children need space to determine their own pace. Sometimes, being a mother is not about holding on tightly, but learning to let go slowly.

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In the midst of the hustle and bustle of an increasingly noisy world, I see this small family like a ship that continues to sail on the vast ocean. There were times when the wind was so strong that the ship’s sails almost broke. There were times when big waves rolled in, making the direction seem blurry. But every time that happens, I remind myself that calm seas never give birth to strong sailors. Maybe that’s why life feels difficult: not because God wants to make things difficult, but so that we are better prepared when we reach our goals.

My children are growing up in a rushed world. At a young age, many feel left behind just because their peers seem to have succeeded first. There are those who panic because they are not married yet, while photos of other people’s weddings fill their social media feeds. Some are anxious because their careers are not yet stable, while their friends are already posing with work jackets and folders in large offices. In this day and age, speed is often considered a measure of success, as if what is slow must be wrong.

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I want to tell them that life doesn’t always need to be pursued like a race. We are not competing to see who gets there first. There are people who are destined to run faster, and there are those who are given a slower path so that they can understand every lesson along the way. There are dreams that are achieved in your twenties, there are also those that only come true at the age of forty. There’s no shame in walking slower, as long as that step leads to good.

I also want my little family to understand that achievement is not always in the form of money. The world teaches us that success is a big balance and a magnificent house. But, the older I get, the more I realize that the things that are expensive are the things that can’t be bought. Eating together at a small table with laughter intact. Go home and feel accepted, not judged. Sleep with a calm heart without feeling jealous of other people’s lives. Fortune is not only what is seen in the bank, but also what is felt in the chest.

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This new year is not about making a list of grandiose resolutions. Exercise every day, read a few books, save some money, or stop doing this and that. Not because goals are not good, but because often our resolutions stop in the middle of the year just because we are too busy chasing results, without enjoying the process. For me, it’s better to choose a realistic but consistent change: speaking more softly, not more. Listen deeper, not harder. Fix the house before fixing the world. Forgive yourself before forcing yourself to become the perfect version.

I want to teach that it’s okay if you’re not there yet. It’s okay if you’re still struggling. It’s okay if life feels hard sometimes. What is okay is to surrender to the situation. We may not be where we dream of yet, but every day we live with good intentions is part of the journey to get there. It’s okay to take it slow, as long as we keep going.

In the silence this morning, before the family awoke, I prayed in a barely audible voice. I ask that we be given a strong heart to accept what is to come, and wisdom to face what is already there. I pray that my children will grow up not only to be successful people, but to be good people. Not only smart to make money, but smart to maintain morals. Not only is he great at standing alone, but he is also able to be a place to lean on for others. And for myself, I ask for calm: calm not to be jealous, not to rush, and not to hesitate at the time God has determined.

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New Year is not an occasion to be someone else. It is an opportunity to return to being yourself, a version that is more patient, more sincere, more aware of direction. And although there is still a long way to go, I believe we will get there. Not by running blindly, but by walking steadily even slowly. Because the most important thing is not how quickly we arrive, but how human we become during the journey to get there. Slow but getting there. Little by little. Until finally, at the right time, we found the best place to go home.

Writer: Umm Masrurah
Editor: Rara Zarary