Well it has been quite a year and as I was telling a good friend the other day ” I am in no hurry to get to the end of this year because who knows what is waiting for us in 2021″ In other words be careful what you wish for!
I am one of those hold outs who still sends Christmas cards and I really do love getting them, seeing the photos and reading the letters but I couldn’t bring myself to write a detailed letter this year. I may have just heard a collective sigh of relief from those on my Christmas card list. 🙂 No worries….there are a few I dread as well.
In any case it has been a year of ups and downs for us and most of it not Covid related. I am grateful I can say that and yet I wish I could change some things. I’ve had quite a few friends endure serious illness..so much so that this nurse ran to the doctor to get a long overdue physical (so unlike me). Like most nurses I often conclude that a few Motrin will fix everything. I actually got laughed at when I broke my wrist and I opted for Motrin rather than Demerol in the emergency room.
In 2020 I had and still have a front row seat to the tragedy of dementia. It is a cruel condition that I would not wish on anyone.
This is also the year we have all experienced some form of in person and online bullying, plain old meanness and bad manners.
And yet this is the year I have also witnessed extreme kindness, laughter, support, love, understanding and prayers received and given.
That kindness is what I want to remember about 2020. How we came together to support one another in creative ways over zoom, via texting and sometimes in person 6 feet away. We left meals on doorsteps, sent real mail, talked to our neighbors across driveways, checked in on those who were alone, helped parents navigate virtual schooling, and realized once again the true value of our teachers and healthcare workers.
Young couples got married in small intimate ceremonies. New parents got to have much needed quiet time with their newborns. It was hard to stay away but what a treasured time for those new families.
If our dogs could talk I’m sure they would say this was the best year ever, they love having us home!
In a way I wonder if the younger kids will remember this year fondly as the one where we all came together, ate more meals together, watched movies, played games. Much like I fondly remember our young married days with 10 cents until payday and a black and white TV with a 15 inch screen.
There are a few things we might not look fondly at..like bad at home haircuts and what I like to call the “pandemic pudge” but it is all good.
So no Christmas letter this year…there was so much I could have written but I thought of my grandfathers’ old friend named “Hitch” who wrote us one year and in essence said ” this year really sucked ..if you want the details send me a buck” He said it with more style and flair and better poetry but you get the gist…also I would charge you more than a buck.:)
On one of the last Thursdays in 2020 I gently ask you to be kind to all you meet…we have survived and mostly thrived in 2020 and yet more kindness is always the answer.
Santa says to go make it a Thoughtful One 🙂 Jennifer
2020 Santa
