New year, new start, new hope . . . a great big “do-over!” if your 2025 was less-than-special.

For me, the last half of it certainly was, and the start of this year threatens to continue in that trajectory.

Yet, I find myself stepping into the faceoff zone for this Olympic year with a weapon mightier than an illegally curved stick: Utterly unexpected revelation.

I can’t give myself credit for this, except to say that it came about by my repeating spiritual exercises from months and years past.

I don’t know if this is universally true, but I find that when I repeat things like Bible in a Year or a Marian consecration, I rack up goals I didn’t score the first time on the ice.

Maybe it’s the conditioning factor. Or maybe if you keep taking shots, you are eventually treated to “she shoot . . . she SCOOOORRRRRRES!!!!!” echoing through the arena.

As I’ve said in columns past, don’t mistake this move for incredible virtue.

Rather, chalk it up to a desperate girl doing desperate things. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through Bible in a Year for a third time, but since embarking on it for 2026, I’ve decided it’s a good idea.

Indeed, practice probably does make perfect.

As for the Marian consecration, I believe I am in my fourth round of repetition of the meditations.

It’s only 45 days in duration, so moving through preliminary and knockout rounds into the medal round is a bit easier.

Of course, I did it to put myself more fully into Mary’s hands, but also for a particular intention.

Still waiting on that answer, I’ve decided to just keep repeating it until I have my response. Isn’t there something in Scripture about being answered for your importunity?

The consecration has a workbook, and each day has a spiritual exercise.

I may fancy myself a bit of a writer, but I quite loathe journaling.

Fun fact of digression: I do know people who make copious notes in journals while doing Bible in a Year as well; I also know that I am NOT (and never will be) one of them.

While I hate doing it, I will say the journaling exercise is very revealing.

There are times that I add to my original entries, and many times that I do not.

What I have found in re-reading them has been epiphanic, however.

In some cases, I am unhappy because I’ve failed in more than one resolution regarding behavior change.

I can only handle this by reminding myself that the Almighty knows me better than I know myself.

That is, I might be unpleasantly surprised by this minimal progress, but I’m pretty sure that He is not.

Is He disappointed that I am such a slow study? I imagine so. Surprised by it? Surely you jest. He’s awfully good to me. :)

It also helps to think of our dear Saul-turned-Paul in his letter to the Romans in these moments: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.”

I wonder if Paul continued with that struggle all the way through the third period of his gold medal game — you know, “fighting the good fight” (in and out of the penalty box) and all?

My guess is a resounding yes, but he still scored the game-winning goal.

And I bet he did not only have failures of will, but also a few successes of spirit along the way. Happily, I have found that to be true for me as well.

In particular, the Day 4 meditation on “trust” struck me, as I have been short on it for most of my life, and especially so in the last six months.

I come by that fear of constant strife honestly, and had hopes for change dashed once again late last year.

It was as if the pin had been pulled on a grenade in my brain, shattering every fiber of my being.

Prayer, nuggets of wisdom from Confession, and a circling back to center ice (a.k.a. Bible in a Year) have helped me surrender my helplessness to God. In one of Father Mike’s commentaries last week on my best buddy and spiritual superstar, Job, he threw out an insight that hit me like a puck hurtling toward an unsuspecting goalie who’s been screened in the crease: GOD IS NOT MY ENEMY.

If I have a shred of integrity left, I think I’d have to admit that somewhere, deep down, the lies of the evil one, suggesting the opposite of that truism, have been lurking within me for many years in one form or another.

It was really the most succinct way to look at it.

I don’t know if He gave me this grace to prepare me for a 2026 that will be the best year of my life, or the worst one.

If the latter, I don’t know that I’ll have the grace to endure, but I now find myself praying as much for that as for my preferred answer.

I find myself actually capable of uttering gratitude when my cross is breaking me.

And I also find myself holding fast to the fact that He restored our steadfast Job in the end. ;)

It’s been 46 years since the modern-day David and Goliath battle of the 1980 Olympic hockey semifinal; I watched it in the second-floor den of Chadbourne Hall as a UW-Madison freshman.

I’m a work in progress, but this recent spiritual growth is just like that game . . . and the immortal closing call of Al Michaels says it best: “Do you believe in miracles?? YES!!!!!”