Virtue means embodying character traits that guide our actions and relationships. It’s not only about personal growth but also about contributing to the good of society.

As 2025 closes, I’m reminded that much of life lies beyond our control. Despite good intentions, circumstances often unfold in ways we cannot dictate. Again, this year has tested me deeply, yet it has also taught me to live with urgency while embracing patience—the patience to wait on God, trusting His timing rather than my own. It can’t always be darkness. Eventually there must and will be light. It’s all relative. I know that I will continue to be blessed regardless and even in the midst of going through tough times.

Challenges have continued, even when I thought they had passed. Still, I choose faith and hope over fear, believing God is working behind the scenes and will reveal His plan in due time. Life, I’ve learned, is about reframing circumstances and responding with virtue to whatever comes our way.

2025 brought its share of blessings —growth in both personal and professional areas, even after several seasons of difficulty, I see a glimmer of light. Valleys have brought wisdom, reminding me that change is inevitable and that “this too shall pass.”

Patience, is a virtue indeed. It is the ability to wait calmly in adversity, trusting that growth and reward come in time. And with that, I continue to wait on God.

Health has been another area of testing. Two biopsies returned benign results—grace I don’t take for granted. As a caregiver to aging parents, I’ve entered the “sandwich stage” of life, common to a lot of  Gen-Xers. Though I’ve opted and God has chosen for me to not have children of my own, my parents, now octogenarians, remain strong but face the realities of age, including MCI.

In many ways, these challenges within the family dynamic has reopen wounds, unveiled resentments, revealing hard truths and unresolved childhood trauma. In these ways, I’ve demonstrated growth in ALL of the 8-9 common virtues. Virtues like courage, wisdom, compassion, integrity, humility, generosity, justice and definitely temperance, which has forced me to reflect on how to continually live a good virtuous life.

As we close out 2025 and move into 2026, I invite reflection. Which virtues resonate most with you, and how might you cultivate them daily in the new year? They have become the compass by which I measure my life.

The Virtues:

• Patience – Waiting calmly in adversity.
• Courage – Facing fear, pain, or difficulty.
• Wisdom – Making sound decisions from knowledge and experience.
• Compassion – Recognizing and easing others’ suffering.
• Integrity – Living with honesty and moral principle.
• Humility – Acknowledging limitations with modesty.
• Generosity – Giving freely without expectation.
• Justice – Acting with fairness and equity.
• Temperance – Practicing moderation and self-restraint.

I carry these virtues not just as ideals but as daily companions—reminders to pause when life feels heavy, to lean on faith when clarity is absent, and to embrace both valleys and peaks with gratitude. They steady me personally, yet they also speak to something larger: a timeless guide for all of us as we navigate uncertainty with patience, courage, and compassion. While we cannot control every circumstance, we can choose our responses; and in that choice lies both growth and hope. May these virtues anchor us individually and inspire us collectively as we grow into another year. ♾️