"Oh Father, give me the words."

That's what I end up telling myself as I draft the beginning of an email. It's hard to start these when I have so much to say and some time has passed.

But when you're among friends..

Happy New Year and Happy Friday Reader!

The end of year scaries that try to kick in for many people didn't get a chance to stick around for me because I was too busy fighting off the flu with my entire family. New Year's Eve was spent holding a giant bowl under my daughter's mouth as she suffered through what I felt was the biggest scare she's given me since birth.

The previous day I'd personally dealt with fever and pain, directly after having spent four sleepless days nursing my husband back to health. I didn't get a chance to have my own time to heal. I had to go straight to mothering after only one restless day of being in bed with aches in my arms and legs and a fever of my own.

On the night of New Years Day, we rushed our kids to the hospital. The fever and dehydration in my daughter had gotten her so bad that we didn't dare taking our chances at home. Both of their fevers kept spiking and running back and forth between them giving broth, sips of water, and ice packs didn't seem to be helping.

My mother had visited from Puerto Rico and she was in a dark bedroom covered in blankets and moaning with body aches of her own.

A magical New Year's Eve spent picking a word or scripture of the year and decorating a vision board was clearly out of the question.

Perhaps you had your own sort of weird start to the new year. We're now a couple of weeks in and instead of feeling hopeful and full of ideas for New Year’s resolutions and all the great things you’re going to do—conquer the finances? Organize the closets? Land your dream job? Nope. You’re feeling more like you're walking through a tar pit.

Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed and wondering, what’s the point in looking ahead to this new year when all you can see is the failures of your past?

Or who knows, you could be on the opposite end. Feeling great, feeling fresh, and filled with stamina to crush some goals and hit six figures! 🙌🏽

But there’s immediate hope when you are assessing in a different light. That light that makes you feel like Indiana Jones, walking through a dark tunnel with a big torch and you know that the treasure is within your grasp. You're a little nervous, a little sweaty, maybe even a little stinky, but you feel hopeful inside. That childlike wonder, you know?

In my own struggle with the end of the year, I realized that I knew exactly what would shift me to immediate hope, and what did it for me was working through the Envision Workshop.

I just started working through it again for myself and was filled with gratitude (after all, that's how it begins), able to read and flip through the pages of last year's and reflect on what I’ve overcome and done with my family in spite of difficulties and circumstances. My favorite part was reading "Last Year's Wrap Up." It's where you write the story of the last twelve months. It's amazing how much happens in just one year.

I love starting a new workbook. It makes me low key giddy inside. Low key because I'm usually in my room with my favorite throw wrapped around me, a candle lit, and the door shut while I open up a fresh new workbook.

I intentionally renewed my relationship with God (part of the workshop too) and got started on reflection. Looking back helps you to see how seasons change and—in spite of the struggle—you'll see there’s still so much you've completed.

So if you’re feeling a little bit down and wondering how to go into this new year, I invite you to use the Envision Workshop to bring you into this place of reflection and planning your path forward from a stance that's true to you.

What is the Envision Workshop? Is it a journal? A planner? A self-coaching program? All of the above! It's a program like no other that guides you to take record of the past year and everything that happened, the good and the bad from a coaching standpoint. No need to hire a coach for this one. You can go through it on your own, at your pace.

Even if something hurt you deeply last year, the guide shows you how to make forgiveness intentional and extracts the lessons you’ve learned, the wisdom you’ve gained, all condensed in one place for you to review and remind yourself when you need encouragement.

It introduces you to the "Seasons of Change" and invites you to reflect on what season you’re in right now. Are you in a season of release, restoration, or one of the others you'll learn about?

The truth is, in what you'll reflect on in this process you will inevitably gain hope. Isn’t that what we need? Isn’t that what keeps us moving forward? It’s hope. I know this is possible for you, and if you’re feeling like you need a hand to hold you, then start the Envision Workshop tradition this year. There is so much more to it than what I can put in an email. What I can say and promise you is hope and that you'll have a detailed plan of action in the end.

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Now, for some Special Updates:

​Grace for Breakfast is on Substack!🪇Substack is a platform for those who love a good read and want to hear the podcast episodes ad-free! On there I'm sharing poetry, encouraging essays, and ad-free podcast episodes for paid subscribers. I'll also be adding more perks along the way as we grow.

New Podcast Episodes:🎤

​Ep 72: Mental Toughness Through Fallow Seasons​

​Ep 73: Being Who You Were Created to Be with El Edwards​

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Meet Our Sponsor: Magic Mind For Ultimate Focus

38% of adults make a New Year’s Resolution, and 23% of people quit after the first week. That's why to help you crush your goals I partnered with Magic Mind so you can get 1 month free when you subscribe for 3 months by going to magicmind.co/jangraceforbreakfast and with my code GFB20 you get an extra 20% off, which gets you to 75% off!

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In closing, flu is over and snow is falling. Just like winter turns into spring, cold seasons of life turn into warm ones. I hope that in whatever season you're in you can find warmth knowing that seasons keep changing and this is what gives us an immediate hope.

With so much love,

Iviana

Hi 👋! I’m Iviana (pronounced ee-vee-on-uh) and I’m a writer/poet/photographer, host of the Grace for Breakfast Podcast, reflecting on what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a wife, a friend, a Believer. Author of Envision Workshop—a self-coaching guide and journal for planning your life following your seasons of growth.

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