2025 The Year We Carried: A Fireside Reflection

Bev and I are blessed to count Devon & Pearlene Clunis as friends. They are both published authors and Devon is recognized as the first Black Police Chief in Canada. We are delighted that Devon has given his blessing for us to publish his monthly newsletter. Here is Issue #08.

Opening Reflection As the final pages of this year’s chapter turn, a unique quiet settles in. The frantic energy of December begins to soften at its edges, making space for a different kind of work: the work of honest remembrance. Before we cross the threshold into a new beginning, we are gifted this moment to sit, as if by a fireside, and consider the weight and the warmth of the year we carried.

Gathering the Fragments of Light Leadership, hope, and personal growth are not forged in the abstract. They are shaped in the acts of service rendered, the difficult conversations navigated, and the silent burdens shouldered. This year asked something of you, as it did of me. Perhaps it asked for resilience in the face of ongoing uncertainty. It may have asked for patience when shortcuts were tempting, or for kindness when you were running low. In the spirit of our ongoing conversation, I invite you to see these not merely as challenges, but as the very materials of your development. There were no shortcuts through this year. Some of us were met with unexpected challenges. But you walked it, and in the walking, you have laid stones for the path ahead.

From Weight to Wisdom I propose a practice. Do not simply drop the weight of the past twelve months. Unpack it with care. Look at the stones you carried. Some are burdens of loss or disappointment; hold them, acknowledge their shape, and then decide if they must be carried forward or can be left here, with your gratitude for the strength they forged in you. Others are not burdens at all, but jewels; moments of unexpected connection, a goal quietly achieved, a piece of wisdom earned through friction. These, you must carry forward. They are your light and your compass. This is the patient, persevering work of a life of impact: to sift our experiences, to separate weight from wisdom, and to integrate what we have learned into who we are becoming.

Your “We Are ONE” Year-End-Pause In these closing hours, grant yourself the grace of a purposeful pause. ✅ Acknowledge the Carry. Name one weight you persevered under this year. Now, name one strength it revealed in you that you are grateful for. ✅ Gather the Light. Identify three specific “sparks” from this year; a helping hand you gave or received, a moment of peace, a lesson that changed your perspective. Write them down. ✅ Intention, Not Just Resolution. Instead of a sweeping resolution, choose a single, grounding word or phrase born from this year’s lessons to guide your first steps into January. (e.g., “Listen,” “Steady,” “Courage in the small things.”)

Final Thought A new year shines with potential not because it is empty, but because we enter it fuller than we were before. We enter it carrying the hard-won treasures of the year past, the clarity, the resilience, the deepened compassion. You are not starting from scratch. You are building on the foundation you just laid, with patience and perseverance, day by day. It has been a privilege to share this space with you throughout the year. In 2026, let us continue to champion the belief that true leadership and enduring hope are built in community, through countless ONE moments of character and connection.

With deep gratitude and anticipation for the journey ahead, 🙏 Devon