I hear so often how people can't wait for 2020 to be over. Although I understand why people might say this, I am not one of those people. 2020 may be one of my favorite years ever. I have learned so much and become more empathetic, more patient, and more compassionate.
Let me give you an overview of my year so far.
January 18, 2020 ~ I was blessed by God and married my best friend. This was an answer to a 2 year long prayer. God began to give me clarity on issues that had seemed foggy for years. Annie and I moved into a new home with Mark and Eric. Eric gave up his bedroom for Annie. Alex was in college and at the time didn't need a permanent room, so he made the most of a couch in the study. This transition wasn't exactly easy, but it was good and I knew it was what God had planned for us.
Mark and I went on our honeymoon and the first day we were there we got the devastating news that his sweet mama's cancer had spread to her brain and she didn't have long to live. This was horrible news and we couldn't think of anything else the rest of our honeymoon. After our time in NY, we returned home to spend her last week and a half with her. She knew we had a mission trip planned to go to Nicaragua and she knew Mark was leading this trip. Much like any mother would do, she made sure that her passing didn't interfere with the mission trip. We left on our trip the day she died. We spent a week in Nicaragua loving on the people there and ministering to them. Mark, Eric and I returned from the trip a day early so Mark could preach her funeral. 2020 seemed to be off to a rough start.
Once home from our trip we tried to get into a new routine and see what this new married life was going to look like. However, it was just a few weeks later when Covid hit and everything shut down and we had a full house again. Eric was doing school online at home, Annie was trying to do some homeschool without supervision, and fortunately for our grocery bill, Alex was able to do his classes online from his dorm. Mark had to learn how to minister to the church via the internet and this proved to be very hard on the church as a whole. I had to start wearing a mask all day and this left me feeling drained and cranky. The semester soon ended, Alex moved home as well. We redid the study so he would have a bedroom. We weren't able to see our parents and this was especially hard on Mark's dad, as he was alone a lot. Life was continually changing for us all and we couldn't see exactly what God was up to. But we did see many blessings through it all.
So, as you can see our year has had many ups and downs. Through it all, I would say, I wouldn't change it. Etta's passing was perfect timing even though we didn't realize it. She would have been at a huge risk during the pandemic and we wouldn't have been able to see her. She would have been alone for all of her treatments. And worst of all, if she had been in the hospital none of us could have visited her. Our trip to Nicaragua was also critical. We were able to provide housing for a family and prepare a pastor's home before they faced one of their toughest times financially. Our marriage was also perfect timing. Many people thought that we rushed things as we had only known each other for 6 months. However, if we hadn't gotten married then we would have been separated for a long time. Having all of the kids home over the summer was a strain on our grocery bill but it strengthened our family. Having to use FB live for worship was a strain on our church, however, it forced us to find ways that we are now using to reach others.
I guess if you had told me at the beginning of the year that all of those things were going to happen, I would have wanted to fast forward through many of them. I am slowly learning that sometimes the most difficult parts of this journey called life, are the most precious. Some of the best talks Greg and I ever had were at the end of his life. I am pleading with all of you to not waste your days. When we were in quarantine, people were eating meals together as a family, going on walks together, and playing board games. Don't forget all those lessons you learned. 2020 has been a different year, but it has NOT all been bad. Don't use Covid as an excuse for being cranky, hateful, frustrated, impatient, absent or anything else. We can learn from Covid, but Covid did not make you anything, you always were that way, it just seems like this pandemic has pulled it out. What if we decided to learn from 2020 and love more freely, give of our time and money more often, help those who need help, spend time with our family, call people you love more often, attend church more, forget that there are political or racial barriers and just love each other? What if? Well, that is what I have learned and I now have 20/20 vision! I pray that these last few months of 2020 will find you all having 20/20 vision as well. I love you all!
Don't let Covid steal your joy, your time, or your energy. Mark and I are living examples of two people who can truly say, "Don't waste one minute of your life, it is just too short!"
