Gifts from 2020

 2020 has been an interesting year. It started out with the busyness of any typical year, until everything came to a screeching halt in March. At this point in the year we are all in Covid fatigue, we are sick of the masks, sick of the mandates and I personally am sick to death of hearing about it. I get in the van to go somewhere and I am listening to music, and then on a break the DJ will start talking about how hard this year is. It is, I get it, but do we have to keep saying it? Do we have to keep rehashing everything? Can we have 5 minutes where we can forget what a hard year it is and just be grateful for what is not hard? This post is not a rant (although it might seem like it), but there are so many good things and gifts that 2020 has brought us. And, as 2020 winds down, I am sharing the gifts from this year that I have seen, and I hope you will take the time for reflection too, because despite an incredibly hard year, there has been good there.

Gifts from 2020 (in no particular order)

Over 200 answered prayers*

A closer walk with God

More time to read than I have ever had

Quality family time

More games  on the shelf

More puzzles on the shelf

We exercised more as a family with daily walks than probably any other time

Binge watching shows

Kayla picking her college

Intentionality with the Advent season 

Good health

Closer friendships

Kayla graduating High School

Kayla getting some scholarships

Kayla being on campus her full semester

Kayla making the Dean's list

Elijah continuing to grow taller

Elijah adjusting to Kayla being gone

Elijah finishing 9th grade and the first semester of 10th

Elijah learning a new instrument

Elijah working on his singing voice

Matt getting a supervisory position at work

Elijah getting braces

working through issues

a dream coming true

Zoom (seriously, love/hate relationship with it)

Connecting with more readers

 Connecting with more bloggers

Never running out of books to read

reviving my blog :) (Gift to me)

Christmas

More projects done around the house

Celebrating birthdays 

Two of my foster kiddos getting adopted

One foster kiddo going to family

Closing of a chapter

New chapters begun

A new pastor and family for our church

Online church that can be watched anytime

New recipes

More home cooking

Getting my kids to try new stuff

I got to see my mom and older sister for the first time in a few years

All of us learning to cope/adjust to difficult circumstances

Learning to adjust to almost constantly changing circumstances

Making an intentional effort to see the good each day

Teaching my kids to find the good in any situation

Kayla learning more independence

We got a new (to us) van in January (had literally forgotten)

My father-in-law retired from being a pastor

Elijah has learned to use a lot of new tools

Elijah has helped build several big projects this year

Matt and I celebrated 21 years of marriage

Kayla got a fantastic roommate

Kayla made a lot of friends

Elijah got the rest of his baby teeth pulled

God is not finished with us

*If you do not see prayers answered I encourage you to write down SPECIFIC requests and see how God answers them, it is impossible to see an answer to a vague prayer. I was not as "good" if you will, of keeping up with prayer requests as thoroughly as I have in the past or I am sure I would have seen even more answered. 

**I am going to be very real. This year has been difficult for me, not necessarily because of Covid, but because I feel into a deep depression and didn't see it. I think it started before Covid, but I didn't really connect it until September, with everything else going on, I just didn't see it. It was so dark and while I would love to say that I am better now, that would be a lie. I am doing okay. I am on medication for it, but am still working through some of the other health issues and stuff that I believe have brought it on. Covid certainly didn't help it and neither does all the negativity that people tend to throw around. But, this too shall pass. I know Who is in control and I trust that He will work it out for good. Friends, I know it has been a very hard year, we all have lost loved ones, or know people who have, and we lost a lot of our plans and extracurricular activities. It is okay to mourn all that, please do, just don't stay there and dwell there. We all need to move forward, doing our best to make the best and most out of each moment that we are given. We don't know when our time will be up, but I want to make the most of mine. I want to be ready and have no regrets. I don't want to live in despair and gloom, I want to be a light, even when I don't feel like being a light, and I want to be more like Jesus and know that those I love know Him too.

What gifts have 2020 brought you? I would love to hear the good from this year and rejoice with you.