May the vast and endless heavens above,  
In their infinite wisdom, surround you with love,  
Bestowing upon you blessings most rare,  
That fill your days with joy and care.  

May victory’s glow, like the dawn’s first light,  
Lift your spirit to exquisite height,  
And harmony, with its gentle sway,  
Guide your steps, come what may.  

May peace, like a river calm and deep,  
Flow through your soul, and softly keep  
Your heart at rest, free from dismay,  
As wisdom whispers, lighting your way.  

May laughter, like raindrops in the spring,  
Dance upon you, and joyfully sing,  
And love’s warm embrace, tender and true,  
Wrap you in beauty, ever new.  

May hope, like the morning’s golden gleam,  
Fill your days with each passing dream,  
Turning each moment to something bright,  
As the stars above keep you in light.  

May the garden of love, radiant and fair,  
Bloom with colours beyond compare,  
Its fragrance, divine, in every breeze,  
Carrying with it a life of ease.  

May courage, like a flame, steady and bright,  
Guide you through dark and uncertain night,  
And joy, like the sun, rise high and clear,  
Filling your heart with warmth, my dear.  

For this soul, in humble reverence, prays,  
That your path be blessed through all your days.  
A Happy New Year, with love to inspire,  
And the stars above lifting you higher.

Not all victories wear medals of gold,
Some hide in moments,
overlooked and untold.
They were found in a deep sigh,
In a smile and through tears,
when days were long,
when you wished for hope
and a will to be strong.

With each sunrise met
when rest felt incomplete,
and with each foul day weathered,
with heavy feet.
These too are triumphs,
written into each trial,
between survival and each mile.

When you carried on when it felt too much,
found peace in chaos, with a patient touch.
Building castles from the ruins of your plans,
and held faith like water
cupped in trembling hands.

Count the small victories, every single one,
each battle fought and silently won.
For perseverance begins with each try,
and strength lives within
the desire to thrive.

This year that's passing,
Has been harsh and kind,
And left its markings on your mind.
Yet here you stand, still breathing deeply,
With hope your heart has learned to keep.
In a quiet victory, that is yours to hold
Worth more than any medal of gold.

©️Lizzie Bevis

January brings sweet pie crust promises,
so easily made and effortlessly broken.
While my sofa creaks beneath good intentions,
As carrot cake still declares itself a healthy salad.

Gym memberships
and weight loss programs multiply,
like my calorie-counting motivation,
that I will probably grow bored of by spring,
as I swear that this year I will get fit.
Just like last year,
and the year before.

My to-do lists stretch longer than my Christmas credit card bill,
while the front cover of my new planner encouragingly exclaims

Get organised!

This will probably lay forgotten by March,
next to my old dusty yoga mat.
Yet, another failed quest
for Zen and mindfulness.

But here I am again,
recycling hopes
like yesterday's Asti bottles,
as I believe in the magic of midnight.

When the calendar pages flip over
and suddenly,
everyone is engrossed
in the thoughts of New Year,
New me resolutions.

Like I'm supposed to become
A marathon-running
Smoothie-drinking
Organised
Book-reading
Healthy­ eating
Meditation guru
Who still can't resist
Tucking into pizza at midnight?!

Maybe this year I will just resolve
To be a little kinder to the me
Who tries
And fails
And tries again
And fails.

©️Lizzie Bevis