Lisa and I started the Joy Jar tradition last year. We have a Mason jar in the kitchen next to a large notepad. The jar is filled throughout the year with slips of paper, and on each slip is written something that gives the writer joy on a particular day. On New Year’s Eve we get together to read each of the notes out loud.

This was not an easy year, but a lot of great things happened for which we’re grateful. Here are just a few of our highlights:

• Better hours. Home every night for dinner!
• Watching Aria in her first dance class.
• Our weekend getaway to Pana-Sea-Ah on the coast.
• Taking Aria to first day of preschool. So proud, but wouldn’t let Mommy go.
• Walking through World War II bombers over Father’s Day weekend.
• Our trip to Mount Hood. Fun at 7,000 feet!
• Watching Aria and her cousin, Thad, sit together at Disney on Ice.
• Aria climbing up into her big kid bed for the first time and saying, “Wow!”
• Daddy-daughter living room dances in the summer.
• Aria thinks “Roll out of bed in your jammies” is the funniest thing ever said.
• Watching Clarke discover his talent making applesauce and apple pie.
• Aria opening her Bitty Baby from Grammy and Grandpa at Christmas. Sheer joy.

The main theme was once again family. We saved our favorite notes and put them in a time capsule with the others from 2016 for reading again someday. The new year will have its own set of challenges and uncertainties, so a new joy jar is ready to go for 2018 as a reminder of all that’s good during the next 365 days. Happy New Year!

Before looking ahead, here’s one more glance at 2017 with a few joyful pictures: