December 30, 2020

I think we can all agree on the term “dumpster fire” to describe 2020. I started the year with high hopes and plans to make improvements. I was committed to my own personal growth and the growth of my blog and writing career. I was focused on making changes and determined to stick with my New Year’s Resolutions.

I thought 2019 was a difficult year. I was was excited to turn the page, to start fresh, to put a challenging year behind me. While I took stock of my own behaviors that contributed to the difficult year, I didn’t take time to appreciate the good. Alice Morse Earle once said, “Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day.”

And that holds true this year as well. For the entire world, this year was a year unlike any other. No one could have anticipated the struggles the human race would experience. But through all of those struggles, there has been a positive light. We may be hard pressed to find the good in a year like this, but it is there.

Infectious disease experts came together to research a new virus and create a vaccine in less than 12 months, demonstrating the prowess of science. Race relations boiled over to bring a new awakening to American soil, pushing White Americans to uncover their own hidden biases and accept the level of vulnerability needed to truly begin the process of correcting racial discrimination. Americans voted at record numbers, showing their commitment to the democratic process.

And I am certain that within your own family, there have been moments of light; moments where your heart was full, moments you can appreciate.

For me, this year gave me the gift of time. More time with my daughter, more time with my husband, and more time with myself. I will forever remember this year as the year I was not rushing to get home before my daughter’s bedtime. This was the year where we cooked dinner together and ate around the table every night. The year where we learned more about one another, learned how to take our own space, and learned how to be more present, more aware, and more patient. This year, I got to know myself better, and I am a stronger person because of it.

So while it might be tempting to turn the page and forget all about this year, let us not move on too quickly. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the good that came from this year, and let’s remember the struggles we had – collectively and individually – so that we can make all the years ahead of us more loving, more patient, and more accepting.

Until next time,

Create peace in your world,