Thanksgiving… Normally a time to surround ourselves with a congregation of family and friends, will undoubtedly be a bit different this year. However, the richness of this season of gathering isn’t completely lost as we pivot as a community in an effort to take care with one another. Several of our writers took a moment to write down their experiences with gratefulness even during this year of uncertainty. Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s been messy, to say the least. Heartbreaking at times and absolutely insane. There is not much lighthearted about the year 2020, except the memes. Whoever they are who think those things up deserve the entertainment awards that Hollywood didn’t earn this year.
Seriously, what a disruptive time it’s been. You look around, peering over the edge of your trendy mask, and can’t help but wonder, what. the. heck. Since when did we care about masks being trendy? And I don’t know about you, but I actually do a lot more smiling and nodding than I used to in the pre-mask world… because I can’t for the life of me understand what the grocery clerk’s muffled voice is saying, so I just smile and nod, even if they can’t see half my face.
Yet despite the many, many hardships and challenges this wild year has thrown at us (and I don’t make light of that!), I’m arriving at Thanksgiving Week 2020 with a deep gratitude in my heart.
Never before in our lifetime have we been given such a chance to reset. This doesn’t happen, like ever. A chance, albeit involuntary, for adults in the middle of their life journey to reevaluate where they are, what they are doing, and where they are going. And most importantly, why.
2020 forced the world to pause. And in that uncomfortable space of silence and solitude, we had no choice but to sit and look around at our life and our people. For us, that was an incredible blessing! We rediscovered some family fun we hadn’t had in a long time. We picked up some old hobbies and learned some new ones. And we were able to see a little more clearly how some of our goals and priorities needed to be reorganized.
Yes, there has been a lot of pain, fear and loss. Many tears have been cried and prayers whispered. But when I think about our kids growing up to tell their kids about the crazy times of 2020, I want them to remember the courage and strength we chose to live in, not despair. And I think the ability to dig for the gold in the middle of the rubble is what makes the difference.
Writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton wrote, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
Being thankful doesn’t negate the difficult or even the tragic. But it gives balance to the reality that even in the midst of challenges, we can find something to be grateful for, which means that there is hope.
So in honor of the hope that I want my children to carry forward with them, here is my list of 20 things I’m most thankful for in 2020, in no particular order. Can you relate to any of these?
- Disney+
- So much more talking, laughing and couch dates with my husband
- Friday pizza and movie nights with the kids
- House projects: we finally hung those patio lights!
- Planting trees in our yard
- Just lots of plants in general—trying to be a plant lady
- Books, and finally getting to the end of many of them
- Making time for art
- My older kids learning to play chess and beating me
- Country drives with fall colors
- Family walks
- Hammocks in our yard
- Grocery pick-up…finally my grocery dreams came true!
- Drive-thru coffee
- The simplicity of enjoying being home
- Nature: I’ve never paid as much attention to its beauty before
- My kids being each other’s playmates (when they’re not archenemies)
- Having a firecracker of a 2-year-old to entertain us
- A chance to slow down and simplify
- Home that feels like a haven
To be honest, it took me a while to sift through and find unique things that I’m thankful for. It’s worth the effort though and someday, when 2020 is in hindsight, I hope we can look back and see the incredible good that came from this year.
So what’s your top 20 of 2020?
