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Life has an ebb and flow.
Some years are full of happy surprises.
Other years are gut-wrenchingly hard.
For many, 2020 has been challenging, and perhaps more difficult than any other year. There has been great loss and deep heartache. Even the simplest of everyday norm is a new normal. 2020 is one year I am ready to kiss goodbye. I understand tomorrow will not be magically different, but it is a marking on the calendar that ushers new hope for a new year.
However, today as I reflect, I whisper thanksgiving for what 2020 has taught me. For example, I am learning to do hard things. I am learning to adjust to the new norm. I am marching forward as I kiss 2020 goodbye. As we move from one year to the next, here are a few lessons to never forget.
Life is fragile, so love others well. Life is too fleeting not to appreciate and love others well. I must take the time to voice my affections. I must spend time with my people. I desire to love well because people matter most over any possession, project, or plans. People must feel important even in pandemics.
I have also learned that I might fall, but I can get back up. Sometimes life may throw us a curveball. I might take an unexpected tumble, but it does not mean I will stay down. I heard an old quote I like to live by “Get up, dress up and show up for your life.” Friends, perhaps you have stumbled in 2020 as well. Maybe you have even fallen in your marriage, at work, or taken a physical tumble. However, you can get back up. 2020 has given me plenty of opportunities to try again. You can too.
I am learning to take care of myself. 2015 was another challenging year as I struggled through a few silent health issues. Since then, I have learned to be intentional with my self-care. I realized self-care is not selfish. Now, I put diet and exercise at the top of my priority list. (Still trying to learn how to drink water. 🙂 Honestly, there will be some things in this life we cannot control. We saw that in 2020. However, what I put in my mouth is something I should be able to control. My exercising pattern is something I must control. I am learning to sit less and move more. I am learning to take care of myself – Join me in 2021. 🙂
I am learning to look for the unexpected beauty. Sometimes beauty jumps directly in the path in front of me. Sometimes, I need to be intentional to search for beauty, but I don’t want to waste another minute missing the breathtaking gifts around me. Holding on to the good can carry me through the bad. When I train my brain to find the beauty, it moves me through the ugly. When I have a grateful heart, my gratitude will change my attitude. Find the good, even in the bad. Search for the beauty. Grip the good, and it will soften the bad.
As we walk out of 2020, kiss it goodbye. March into 2021 a little stronger, a little braver, and a little wiser. Remember friends, life is fragile, so love others well. Know that though you may stumble in life’s journey, you do not have to stay down. Take care of yourself, and look for beauty all around you.
Let’s kiss 2020 goodbye and have a Happy New Year.
‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
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