We have less than two hours and 2020 will be finally be over. This time last year, we were excitedly anticipating the arrival of not just a new year – but it was also a new decade! It was a time of making those lovely New Year’s Resolutions – dreaming of the possibilities that a new year might bring – weddings, vacations, new jobs, and births. And yet, that’s not what we’ll remember from 2020. It will forever be known as the year of the “Pandemic” (aka COVID19). It will be the year when toilet paper and hand sanitizer were in short supply, social distancing is the new norm and means standing six feet apart, and “masks” are not meant to be worn just for Halloween any more.
Yet, this was a year that the Lord hath made. Have you thought about that? The Lord can always bring good from bad. Being separated from loved ones through quarantine and isolation has made us appreciate the simple joys of just being together. We have dealt with hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires. Many have lost their jobs, but these hard times have caused us to learn once again to rely and trust in the promises of God. We have eaten more “home-cooked meals,” and enjoyed sitting on the porch this year but it means that we no longer take simple pleasures for granted. We treasure the time spent in worshiping the Lord, our God, with our church family – oh, how they mean so much to us.
Personally, 2020 has been a remarkable year. I will always be grateful that I took that “leap of faith” in August and have now lost over seventy pounds. I haven’t felt this good in years. It is a year where I took a new job as the manager of the Current River Sheltered Workshop – it is truly the hardest, yet most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It is a year where Steve and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary – more in love now than ever. And it has been a year where I have been able to share Scripture Writing Schedules and blogs with all of you.
May 2021 be a blessed year for all of us for we have all been “simply blessed,” Courtney