Dear ones, as always in December, here is my review of the year. I admit, I’m also writing this a bit for myself, because it helps me to reflect a little, because it puts me on the spot in some things and also reminds me of a wonderful memory in others.
My daughter recently said, completely fascinated, that she thought 2025 would be boring. She had turned 18 the year before, passed her A-levels and started university, so what would the following year bring?
My review of 2025: a colourful bouquet of life
And then there were so many unexpected and exciting things in 2025, a university project trip to Japan, her moving out of home („best decision of the year“), a whole new life somehow on the one hand and not on the other. In any case, the year was exciting for us too. And busy and varied.
The seeds that I had sown after my little crisis of meaning somehow all started to blossom and I felt dizzy from time to time and had to think again about priorities. There were also some real highlights that make me very grateful and that need to be processed now. For now, however, the year got off to a pretty good start…
January
The year begins with the funeral of my godfather, who died suddenly. Then it’s off to a three-girl weekend in Hamburg. I do interviews for the new book, accompany the cover shoot, provide grief counselling individually and in groups, go horse riding, jogging, celebrate the first anniversary of our choir at Gaffel am Dom, go to the Stunk session at E-Werk and to the ladies‘ carnival session in Lindlar.
February
There are half-year reports for the boys, it’s time for year 10 graduation. I’m standing at election campaign stands, often on the phone to the publisher, meet the last protagonists for the book, perform in a choir, go to Dortmund for the final round of the Bundestag elections, go to the stadium with some children in mourning thanks to the FC Köln Foundation. Then Germany votes and the new chancellor is called Merz. The street carnival finally begins at the end of the month.
MarchIn the middle of the month, I hand in my book, ride, run, sing and go to the physio 😉. At the end of the month, we visit the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with my daughter and her boyfriend, a little educational trip. We register the boys for their driving licence and celebrate a great 50th birthday.
April
I attend a seminar on the early death of children during pregnancy or childbirth at Hopes Angel, the boys go on a course trip to Amsterdam and I attend the first block of a counselling seminar for emergency pastoral care and also give a talk on dealing with grief myself.
One weekend I go to Munich and get to see Bayern at the stadium and meet some great people (e.g. Maria from the Sternenkindfamilie or my Vereinbarkeitsgipfel friend Steffi). In the second week of the Easter holidays, we are on holiday in the sun with parts of the family (one child is on holiday with another family). I’m doing another first aid course. Better safe than sorry.
May
We start the merry month with the May Day celebrations, on the 3rd I celebrate my birthday with a huge choir performance at the town festival with Scharmöör, when at some point the whole market square sings Happy Birthday. Goosebumps! In the middle of the month, we hike with friends on the Bergische 25. Apart from that, there are a few campaign meetings and phone calls for editing the book.
Then my pony is injured by a kick and needs an operation. I almost freak out with worry, but everything goes well in the end. I go to the Leben und Tod trade fair in Bremen, the boys play in the district league qualifiers and the older one flies to Asia with the university.
June
I’m running for our city council, so I’m travelling a lot at the weekends. The 2nd block of dialogue management seminars is coming up and at the end of the month I will be appointed to the Cologne mayor candidate’s campaign team. There are 100 days until the election… it’s my first one.
I’m attending a few birthdays, we’re going on a pub choir tour through our town and singing in pubs, the boys are getting their mid-term exam grades and moving up into the district league!July
We’re travelling with friends to the Sting concert in Luxembourg and on the way I get an amazing and surprising job offer over the phone – for something I’ve never done before but would really like to do. The concert will be awesome.
As part of the Lord Mayor’s election campaign team, I get to walk in the pouring rain at the CSD in Cologne and then have my first job interviews, which go really well. I’m already imagining how I’ll start in autumn and then I get a call to say that it would have been a great fit, but that the staffing situation has changed so much that unfortunately it won’t work out after all. I cry into my blouse for a moment.
Then I start my training as a systemic counsellor. I like my grief counselling, but I would like to broaden my focus so that I can perhaps cover my costs at some point. The boys graduate from 10th grade, we celebrate two family birthdays and I start as a lecturer on dealing with grief at a vocational school for carers. The boys go on a youth holiday and we spend a few days relaxing in Kühlungsborn.
August
The nursing school continues, I go on a few missions for emergency counselling and take care of my own election campaign and the one in Cologne. After passing their theory test, the boys start their first driving lessons for their driving licence. Fortunately, the pony is fine again.
We go on holiday for a week and during this time we get the confirmation that our big girl will be moving out next month, how quickly did that happen? I’m proud and melancholy and excited. We’re celebrating a world championship at the stables and four young people died in a car accident in Kürten, just around the corner from us, which will keep me busy in my private and professional life over the next few weeks.
September
The banger month. A lot of things that have kept me busy over the last few months come to a close in these important weeks. The big one is moving out. My new book „Und plötzlich ist nichts mehr wie es war“ is published and lands on the SPIEGEL bestseller list in week 1 (after a lot of hard work in the press)
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I become a member of the city council in my home town and in Cologne we win the Lord Mayor election in the run-off. When the song „Et jitt kei Wood“ is played while the campaign team is allowed on stage, I’m in tears. What a ride that was! The first readings take place and the boys turn 17.
October
I’ve been training all year with my friend Steffi for the half marathon in Cologne on 5 October, but two weeks beforehand my knee gives up so badly that I have to cancel. Not everything can work out. I still have to distract myself throughout the day so as not to be too sad, because I’m fitter than ever and was looking forward to it. I celebrate my first anniversary with my pony and my first son also passes his practical driving test (he was quicker with the theory because he already has a moped licence).
After readings and lectures and chaperoning, I treat myself to another week’s holiday with just one son. Wonderful and yet unusual without the others. Then, completely unexpectedly, a new book project pops up and you’ll probably get to read something from me again at the end of August 26, wooohooooo.
November
The boys start the month with two weeks of work experience and it’s incredible, but they come back home and are so excited that they both say: I’m going to do THAT. How great is that! To find something that you can really imagine doing later on. I am touched.
The book is a hit and we’re at a lot of readings. I celebrate a wonderful 11.11., then unexpectedly get to play a bit of firefighter for an editorial team and realise: I have to push back the deadline for the new book. After all, our guest child from Latin America is moving in at the end of the month and that also needs time and preparation.
December
Our third child also passes her driving test (at 7.30 in the morning in dark, wet traffic!). We do a lot with our guest daughter, I catch an awful cold and realise that I need to cut back even more. I haven’t jogged for three months, but in the mornings I always don’t know where to start and decide on a feverish night: I’m going to quit my systemic training again after all.
I can’t do everything and my day only has 24 hours. I lose money, but gain relief. I cancel a sold-out reading and a few events so that I can cure my flu-like infection and write more. I spend a night with my mum in Rome because her brother is now working there, we have Christmas performances with the choir, celebrate the guest daughter’s birthday and Christmas with the extended family.
And despite all the stress towards autumn and beyond, I look back on this wild, colourful, diverse year with positivity and gratitude. To my family, who I can experience again with new, touching host qualities through our guest. To this intense life.
To the blossoming of the crisis seeds, to so much self-determination and new challenges. To my friends and to Katharina as the best colleague ever and to you, who are still loyal to us here. I’m looking forward to 2026 and I’m excited to see what else is waiting for us!
