2020 was a banner year.
I know you must be thinking I'm crazy because banner usually has a positive connotation First, let me address the elephant in the room: 2020 was hard. For everyone. I cannot think of a single soul who was not impacted negatively; just in varying degrees.
But today as I spent time meditating on all the good and perfect gifts I have received from God this year, I was taken aback. Some of them were large, some were small, but all were evidence of the fact that God loves me and cares about my life, regardless of the circumstances I find myself in.
Don't get me wrong; this does not mean I have not experienced low lows this year. I have had many. But I know that I will ultimately be okay because of my faith. And because I have people in my life who love me.
As I reflected on the good things, here are but a few of the things God brought to my mind:
I have had steady income coming in, without missing a beat, since January. This is rare for me because I am a consultant (otherwise known as a contract worker). I never know how long I may go without a project and usually I go for weeks between. Not this year. Between my projects in Louisville, Chicago and California, I was busy most of the year. For the 12 weeks or so that I was not, I was fortunate enough to get unemployment.
I love to travel and 2020 gave me quite a few travel memories. Ric and I had a fantastic trip to Clearwater Beach, FL. Even though our ultimate goal of seeing Florida baseball Spring Training was squashed due to COVID, we made the most of it with time spent on the beach and on the water in boats and kayaks. We also went on a road trip to South Dakota and were blown away by its beauty. Our trip to Montana in November for Ric's birthday was also a highlight. Since I travel for work and Ric and I both travel for free on Frontier Airlines, he was able to visit me in both Louisville and Chicago and we made great memories in both places. We had to cancel our long-awaited trip to Boston and, of course, did not make it to any new baseball stadiums this year, but we made the most of the trips we were able to take.
In addition, my best friend and I had a fantastic long weekend trip in Phoenix Arizona. It was exactly what we both needed: girlfriend time in the hot, sunny weather while drinking lots of margaritas at the pool. I also saw Brett Young, my one and only in-person concert of the year, with Ric in Nashville, Indiana.
My best memory of the year was seeing my son, Joseph, wed the love of his life, Lauren. Even though they couldn't have the large wedding they planned, the intimate ceremony was absolutely perfect and it was a wonderful time celebrating their union and spending time with our small family.
To the best of our knowledge, none of us but our daughter, Allie, got COVID. This is amazing considering that many of us work outside the home and I traveled a great deal both for work and for leisure. Allie is a fighter and made it through her COVID bout and I am so so grateful.
I'm a writer, though I don't write nearly enough. One of my writings about my brother, Scott, was published this year and I am eagerly awaiting a copy of the book. In addition, I have wanted to write songs for a very long time, but have been afraid. This week alone I have written 5 of them and can now officially say I am a songwriter.
I could go on and on about my other blessings: my husband, our home, my children, my friendships, my cat, our church family, Starbucks, my 4 adopted cats at the Wild Animal Sanctuary...my blessings are seemingly endless.
But, I lost my father in early March and was not able to see my mom from that time until about a month ago. She, too, is in declining health and I will soon be motherless as well. I learned several other devastating pieces of news lately that I am not privy to share, but suffice it to say, it will take a while to process and grieve the news.
Because Ric is in sales and relies on companies making money in order to spend money, his income has suffered greatly this year.
So, before you think I am negating the negative, surely I am not. I am simply seeing the positives in my life which I often overlook when circumstances are not good. I can focus on the negative, of which there is much. Or I can focus on the positive, of which there is much more.
I hope you can find something, anything, to be grateful for. Even one thing is a start.
Happy New Year! Welcome, 2021!