Hindsight is 20/20

A lot of people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year or choose a word to focus on and apply to their lives over the next 12 months. I've never been one to do either but I have been thinking back over the crazy unprecedented year that was 2020. 

It was a hard year for so many. Covid hit just a couple months in and reeked havoc on all of us. While I wasn't affected as much as others, I did have petsitting jobs cancelled that affected me financially and lost one of my childcare jobs suddenly, although that was more of an emotional hit than anything else. I've never liked goodbyes or endings, and unexpected ones are especially hard. Family members faced unexpected and serious health issues, friends lost jobs that they never got back, and a friend of mine literally disappeared from my life overnight. Yes, 2020 was a doozy for sure!

Mixed in with all the hard, however, was so much joy and good news. My littlest llama was born this summer and joined her big sisters in my care this fall. She is such a smiley and happy baby who sure loves her sisters! She's about to start crawling and then we're all in trouble! Friendships from church have continued to grow and deepen and I have never been happier to be a part of such an incredible church family. I am moving in a few weeks to a new place - bigger and more than I ever could have imagined or afforded on my own. God came through real big in that one!!

My biggest blessing and gift of 2020 was one that came out of nowhere! I read a book in June that stirred my heart to share my story and a sermon that next Sunday was the nudge I needed from God that this was finally the time. I've tried to write my story out many times over the years but it never went anywhere and always ended in frustration. By November I had submitted a manuscript to a wonderful Christian self-publishing company and I got news at the beginning of December that it was accepted for publishing! As I began the process of collecting the funds to get the publishing under way, I was blown away by the generosity of friend - literally speechless and in tears at times by how much people gave. To be honest, I had an idea of who might contribute but I was shocked when friends I never expected stepped up in a big way! The book isn't completely funded yet but I am completely confident that God didn't bring it this far only to have it stall out now and I can't wait to see how He will move!

2020, there were days you certainly weren't my favorite and I couldn't wait for you to be over but there were also days I looked forward to with great anticipation and excitement. I am thankful it was a mixture of both, but mostly the latter. 2021, bring it on!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sufficient Grace Among Thorns

It happened again last night. I was scrolling through social media and learned an acquaintance had gotten married. I was happy for her, I really was. Many of her peers had been married for years and I imagined there was great joy for her as God finally brought her husband along. But almost instantly, that joy turned to sadness and a heaviness filled my heart. An all too familiar heaviness. One I've felt off and on for years, one that brings tears to my eyes, and one that, if I'm not careful, can turn into incredible bitterness. I've often thought that, besides Jesus, one of the people I am looking forward to meeting in heaven is Paul. I want to talk to him about that thorn in his side because, boy, do I have some questions! Did he experience times when that thorn seemed almost non-existent, more like a splinter in his side and just a mild annoyance? And on the flip side, were there times that little thorn seemed to be so infected and raw that it left a trail of blood with e
Read more

100 Things I'm Thankful For

After being inspired by a friend's list, I've been writing out a list of 100 things I'm thankful for every year for almost fifteen years now! This year though, if I'm honest, I've been tempted to just skip it. I've been walking through several weeks of fighting off depression and telling Satan through gritted teeth, almost daily, that he's not going to win. So this year, I wanted to just write a simple 'I am thankful for my many blessings' and be done with it. Sitting and writing out 100 things can be pretty tedious, especially when you get into the 60s and start to lost steam! But to sit and think about 100 things I am thankful for requires a bit of reflection, honesty, and a whole lot of intentionality, which is never a bad thing So, in no particular order, here we go... 1. The hope and joy I have that comes from a relationship with my Jesus. The longer I live and the more people I meet and interact with, the more aware I am that true joy can only
Read more

April Thoughts *Trigger Warning*

April is probably one of my favorite months of the year. Not only is it my birthday month (and that of some of the coolest people ever!) but after a long, cold, and gray winter, green grass starts to grow and the earth just smells new, fresh, and ready to come alive. Kids at school finally get the chance to play outside without their coats and the warm sun both brings out an orneriness and an exuberance for life that is unmatched during the winter months. Evenings are perfect for sitting in the sun with a good book and a whispering breeze to help sort through the events of the day as the sun heads off to bed and the moon prepares for the night shift. There's just something about the month of April! April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month and my social media comes alive with reminders that rapists are the sole cause of rape, that chains are broken every time a survivor tells their story, and that there is so much hope and healing available for those who have been wounded by sex
Read more