Take Only What You Need
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“To let go does not mean to get rid of. To let go means to let be.” — Judith Hanson Lasater
As the year draws to a close, many of us stand at an invisible doorway. Behind us is a year full of effort, loss, learning, exhaustion, and change. Ahead of us is something wide and largely unnamed. The instinct, especially in uncertain times, is to pack everything. Every lesson. Every disappointment. Every unresolved fear. We tell ourselves that carrying more will make us safer.
It rarely does.
There is wisdom in knowing what not to take with us. Futures are not built by accumulation alone. They are shaped by discernment. What we carry forward determines how freely we can move, how open we remain to what is still possible.
But there is another truth we rarely name: some things persist simply because we fear acknowledging their season has ended.
We keep carrying expectations that no longer fit. Narratives about ourselves that once helped us survive but now quietly limit us. Griefs that deserve tenderness but not perpetual rehearsal. Habits of urgency that mistake exhaustion for faithfulness.
None of these are failures. Most of them were necessary once. But necessity has a season. Wisdom knows when that season has passed.
The threshold into a new year does not require us to become lighter by denying what has mattered. It asks us to become more intentional. To look honestly at what we are holding and ask whether it still serves life. To notice the difference between what we need and what we have simply grown used to carrying.
What do you truly need to take with you?
Perhaps you need the clarity earned through difficulty. Perhaps you need a renewed sense of belonging. Perhaps you need the courage to say no more often, or the patience to move more slowly. Perhaps you need grief, but not self-blame. Hope, but not illusion. Commitment, but not control.
The future does not ask us to arrive empty-handed. It asks us to arrive unburdened.
There is a wide field ahead. It does not demand proof of worth or performance. It responds to presence. To attention. To the quiet integrity of someone who has chosen to carry only what helps them remain alive, responsive, and real.
As you stand at this threshold, you are not being evaluated. You are being invited.
Take what you need.
Release the rest.
And trust that the ground ahead can meet you when you do.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where has future-thinking begun to feel like pressure rather than possibility for me?
What signals—fatigue, joy, restlessness, clarity—have I been ignoring?
What question seems to be quietly forming beneath my plans for the coming year?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Release
God of seasons and thresholds, give us the courage to release what no longer belongs to us. Help us distinguish between faithfulness and fear, between responsibility and residue. Teach us that letting go can be an act of trust, and that emptiness can be a form of readiness. Hold what we cannot yet release, and meet us gently as we learn. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Setting One Thing Down
Before the year ends, choose one thing you will consciously release.
It could be…
A belief about yourself.
An expectation that never came to fruition.
A pattern of self-judgment.
A demand you have been placing on your own life.
Name it. Acknowledge what it gave you. Then imagine setting it down—not discarding it, but placing it gently outside the doorway of the year ahead.
You can return to it if you need to. But for now, let yourself walk forward unencumbered.
This is not loss.
It is preparation.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
January 6, 13, 20, 2026 - Protest and Action Chaplaincy Training with Rev. Anna Golladay. This live, online training offers a framework for providing compassionate, grounded spiritual care during protests, advocacy gatherings, and social movements. Learn more here.
January 15, 2026, 7-8pm EST - FREE Online Webinar: When the Internet Hurts: The Hidden Online Dangers Facing Our Teens and How Faith Communities Can Respond, Join me in conversation with Sharon Winkler, survivor parent and nationally respected youth online-safety advocate. Sharon’s son, Alex, died at age 17 after experiencing cyberbullying and algorithmically targeted pro-suicide content. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping parents, educators, and faith leaders recognize online dangers and build safer communities for young people. Register here.
February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
My friend and Buddhist teacher, Isa Gucciardi’s center, the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, has just released their 2026 calendar of events. I can’t recommend her courses enough. Check them out here.
Have you heard that Dr. Matthew Fox is taking a group to Italy?!? It’s a week-long retreat in Sardinia on May 25-30, 2026 focused on the theme of Awakening the Divine Human, rooted in the teachings of Matthew, C.G. Jung, and the ancient wisdom of the land. I so wish I could go, but I am already booked. You should consider it.
I just finished listening to Rachel Maddow’s new podcast called “Burn Order.” I realize I can’t exactly claim Rachel as a “friend” since we have never even met, but I still want to recommend the podcast to you. It’s pretty incredible.
Have you heard about the Buddhist monks walking for Peace? The Monks and their dog, Aloka, are walking from Texas to Washington, D.C. to promote peace and compassion. You can follow their progress in real time here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Dear Sister Cameron,
I’m so very grateful for your sharing. Knowing that there are others moved by your love and wisdom is so encouraging. Please know that the community you reach breathes deeply of what you write.
We are, indeed, in this together.
To meet new year, day,
discerning, intentional.
“Arrive unburdened.”