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We adore this Cup of Jo community, so we asked readers to send their favorite personal photos from 2025. We received so many incredible snapshots — it was impossible to choose! — but here are 11, including a surprise wedding and winning Wordle guess…
Above: “Turning 100 days is a huge milestone for Korean babies. I was thrilled to celebrate our beloved babe — and also elated for myself that I’d passed the ‘fourth trimester’ mark. Motherhood is simultaneously the most difficult and wonderful journey, and I’m grateful to have a community that celebrates our baby’s milestones as much as her umma and appa.” — Joanne
“This photo taken on a weekend getaway is pretty much how my sister and I always look: cackling our way through life. Two years ago, I ended a 20-year marriage, and earlier this year my sister lost her boyfriend to cancer. Things aren’t always easy, but we’re so lucky to have each other.” — Keely
“This photo is from my first time skating on ‘wild’ ice on Kenai Lake, Alaska. I had planned to just go to Alaska for a February vacation, but I ended up falling in love with the rugged wilderness and moved here in June!” — Emily
“This was our first trip to the beach last summer, six months after I had our second child. We live in Sweden, and after spending all winter nursing indoors, I felt like I was alive again! My daughter was so excited to swim, and the baby had never felt sand. Months later, seeing that hand on my leg still makes me cry.” — Morgan
“When I was newly postpartum, my sister flew from England to help out. It was during Ramadan, and we were trying on outfits for Eid. At that moment, I had to nurse my baby, so my sister sat down to complete reading her Quran, and my daughter sat next to her. It wasn’t a posed pic, but I saw them and I was like STOP! DON’T MOVE! This photo captures the incredible bond between an aunt and niece. In our tradition, we say ‘the mother’s sister has the same station as the mother,’ and I think that’s so beautiful.” — Sumaya
“My favorite photo is bittersweet. In the summer, we learned my beloved grandfather ‘Hoppi,’ who was in hospice care, likely wouldn’t make it to our fall wedding. My grandmother and I organized a surprise ‘wedding’ at their Florida home, with family flying in from all over the country and my sister acting as officiant (ordained by the Universal Life Church, of course). It was a true mitzvah for someone I’ve loved for 31 years. He passed peacefully a few weeks before our actual wedding, and I’ll cherish this memory forever.” — Morgan
“My husband took this photo of me this spring — in the months prior, I had undergone a bilateral mastectomy and radiation to treat breast cancer. During radiation, I started knitting this sweater in the brightest yarns I had — all dyed by my friend! I was so excited to wear it for the first time, to go to lunch with my husband, and to have a day of feeling like myself again.” — Allison
“A few years ago, I went to nursing school after being a stay-at-home mom of two boys. Nursing school was incredibly hard, but I met the most wonderful people. We graduated in May and now we all work in the same hospital. To celebrate, we went for a 10-mile hike in the Adirondacks. The hike was difficult but worth it — the perfect metaphor for our nursing school experience.” — Lyndsey
“This photo — taken on January 1st at my community garden plot with my 4-week-old daughter — captures my very first solo outing with her, the start of a fresh new year, and the beginning of what felt like a reclaiming of my sense of self. This trip to the garden fed my soul and reminded me of how far we’d come in those wild first few weeks. I felt so proud, hopeful, and peaceful — just me and my girl.” — Erica
“This picture was taken on Halloween at a dress-up place in Salem, Massachusetts. It’s me (top left) and my older sister (top middle) with my two girls and her two girls. My sister’s family lives across the country, so cousin time is a huge treat. The girls created core memories, like having a Hocus Pocus movie night and riding the train to Salem during spooky season. We are now official a coven, and the cousins are already scheming their next visit.” — Liberty
“I always play Wordle starting with whatever random word pops into my head at the time (I used to play the same opening word each time but decided that was boring). After I guessed correctly, I actually shrieked and fist pumped the air, and even though I was alone in my room, looked around wildly for someone to high five. Even though I know this was absolute dumb luck, it is totally an accomplishment, where’s my trophy y’all?” — Katie
What’s your favorite snapshot from the year? We’d love to hear…
P.S. Twelve readers share their favorite photos and more great reader comments, including their happy moments and favorite winter outfits.
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