Hopeful Expectations
We are all ready for 2020 to be over, but what exactly are we expecting 2021 to look like? Before I can look ahead, I need to take a look at where I’m coming from. Let’s just take a step back and recap the glorious year of 2020.
2020 Recap:
Australia had devastating fires.
Trump was impeached then was acquitted.
WW3 almost ensued.
Prince Harry & Meghan broke free of the royal family.
Word spread of a guy that ate a bat and started COVID in China but most of us didn’t think much of it.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter died in a tragic helicopter crash.
COVID Pandemic began and people bought toilet paper.
Lockdowns began, hospitals ran out of ventilators, countless people lost jobs, and everyone else went virtual.
The term “Social Distancing” was coined and wearing masks became our new normal.
Political unrest erupted after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the death of Breonna Taylor, and the brutal killing of George Floyd.
Protests spread across the nation and the world.
Kanye ran for President.
Biden held virtual election rallies from his basement.
A Trump rally got tanked by Tiktok teens.
The first Presidential debate was worse than a train wreck.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg died and a new Supreme Court justice was appointed.
The President got COVID.
Mail in ballets caused a major upheaval in the election results.
Trump refused to concede.
A COVID Vaccine was released.
Personal 2020 Recap:
Celebrated our 5 year anniversary!
Celebrated our son’s first birthday!
My husband played with Patti LaBelle!
COVID school closings ensued in March on Friday the 13th.
Being on lockdown and virtually teaching first graders from home while simultaneously caring for a one year old almost put me in an insane asylum. Joking. Kind of.
Fortunately, being stuck at home pushed us outside more which caused us to become good friends with our neighbors!
Began exercising more and eating better while stuck at home which lowered my cholesterol levels!
My husband finally graduated law school! But then COVID canceled the graduation ceremony.
We got a new kitten cause why not add to chaos!
A new school year with new (almost impossible) COVID policies began.
Our family got COVID.
My husband began studying full time for the bar exam while also still working full time.
Several of our family members got COVID but are thankfully all well now.
COVID entered my first grade classroom sending 13 of my students home to quarantine.
I turned 30.
Holidays looked a little different for us just as it did many families because of COVID. We missed some family members but are thankful we are all alive and well!
This year tested and challenged us all, but what has it actually taught us? Although I have learned important lessons such as sweat pants are the best work attire, toilet paper is sacred, and I never want to teach from home with a toddler on my lap again, this year has taught me a bit more.
2020 has taught me…
The importance of taking time for myself.
Since becoming a mom, this has been a hard lesson for me to accept. I find myself feeling guilty whenever I spend time doing something just for me. But I have learned that whether it is exercising, watching tv on the couch, reading in bed, taking a bubble bath, or spending time with the Lord, I have to take time for myself. I can’t care for my son, family, friends, or students until I first take care of myself.
The importance of family and friendship.
The pandemic has brought on isolation in its truest form and my heart breaks for the people who have felt alone this year. I often struggle with anxiety and bouts of depression at times, and this year has definitely caused flare ups at times. But my family and friends are the ones who have consistently kept my feet on the ground and gaze fixed upward.
The importance of having gratitude for the blessings in my life.
I have always tried my best to thank the Lord for His blessings in my life. But this year has taught me just how grateful I should truly be. Not only do I still have a job, but I have a fulfilling and rewarding job. Not only do I live in a beautiful home, but I have not had to live alone at any point during this isolating year. Not only do I have caring people in my life, but I have family, friends, and a community of people that have all grown closer through this tough year.
After the year we have all endured, my New Year’s Resolution is a bit more specific for 2021. While embracing the importance of “me time” this year, I took the opportunity to delve deeper into God’s word and presence. And in doing so, that hunger for more began to grow. Like the Sunday school story of the man who built his house upon a rock, I need to be grounded in my faith if I expect to make it through whatever more these hard times have in store. Now I am desperately longing for a deeper understanding of God’s word. More so, I long to have open ears and a willing heart for God’s will in my life. So this year, I have one resolution: To quiet the noise and listen to God’s voice.
What do we hope for in 2021? Our world may have opened Pandora’s box of chaos in 2020, but just because the year is ending doesn’t mean the chaos ends. So, what can we actually change in order to ensure a better year and future? I sadly cannot speak for our world or country, but I can speak for myself and I wholeheartedly hope that 2021 has better outcomes than 2020. But if I expect to see real change in my next year, then I can only put my hope and trust in the hands of the true Way Maker.
Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Psalm 27:14
“Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.”