5 things I’m thankful for from 2020

And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:13 ESV)

If I heard it said once, it seems like I heard it a thousand times: 2020 was “unprecedented,” a “year like no other,” a year of “pivoting.” Yes, it was a year of challenges, fear, and frustration. I even wrote about some of my fears in my blog post Faithful Despite the Fear.

But 2020 also had moments of beauty and joy, hope and fulfillment. And while I plan to remember the lessons I learned in 2020 and don’t in any way want to discount the heartaches that so many people experienced, I’m choosing to focus on positive things from the year and be grateful for those as we move into 2021.

Here are five of those things (in no particular order).

Working from home again. I worked from home for almost 18 years while our kids were growing up, but returned to the “real” working world in 2016. I enjoy my job and work with some wonderful people – but I’ve also really enjoyed being able to work from home again. It’s less pressure in a lot of ways and I definitely haven’t missed fighting traffic or spending 2+ hours in my car every day.

More time together as a family. When everything began to change in March, our son was nearing the end of his third year in college and our daughter was two months from her high school graduation. Their shift to online school and our shift to working from home full-time meant that we spent a lot more time together. It wasn’t what they wanted for school, but they made the best of it and my Mama heart loved soaking in every minute of togetherness that I could.

The bits and pieces of “normal.” Our daughter’s class had in-person graduation in late June for those who wanted to attend under then-current protocols (thanks to being able to hold it at Atlanta Motor Speedway). Both their colleges allowed students on campus in the fall, even though many things were different from usual. Our church began holding in-person services again in August, although that was also new and different in many ways. Any glimpses of what we used to consider “normal” were good to see.

Healthy parents. While I’ve been concerned for the health of all our family and friends, I’m incredibly thankful that our parents have been healthy through all of this. They’ve stayed home as much as possible and have followed the rules when they’ve gone out. I thank God for preserving their health and pray that those who test positive for COVID-19 have mild cases and recover quickly.

A fresh writing mindset. I began 2020 thinking and praying a lot about things I wanted to do once both kids were at college and I had time to refocus on some things for myself. One of the clear answers was to get back to the writing that I had basically ignored for the past few years because of being focused on work and other things. I joined a new critique group during the summer, began working again on a YA manuscript, entered the first chapter of that manuscript in a contest, and have been getting back in the habit of posting more regularly here on my blog and social media. The responses have been encouraging and I’m excited about doing even more in 2021.

What about you – can you find some glimmers of hope among the craziness and mess we’re connecting with 2020? These are only a few things and I’ve barely scratched the surface of them. What are some things you found to be grateful for in 2020 despite all the uncertainty?

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1 ESV)

Thank you, Lord, for your blessings, even when things around us are uncertain or don’t go the way we want. You teach us many times in Scripture that there are always reasons to be thankful. Help us remember that as we move into this new year and deal with whatever comes our way. Amen.