It has been so long since I’ve written. It feels really good to be back on the page.

It’s my hope that you will enjoy having a seat at my table.

Recently I began my birthday celebration. For many years I’ve chosen to celebrate all year long. Perhaps because there’s just no way to cram everything into one day.  

I received the gift of another year of life, another trip around the sun, another pilgrimage of purpose.

I felt and feel so grateful for the gift of life, because 2020 was by far the most the challenging traumatic year.

This past year of Coronavirus has been one really big, incredibly exhausting, challenging trial of epic portion.  Together, as a nation, we’ve experienced heartbreak, loss, isolation, depression, anxiety, fear, and anger. Some of us lost more than others, multiple family members, entire families, gone in a blink of an eye.  

Spending time in person with friends and family is a beautiful gift.

Hugging those we care about and love is a beautiful gift.

Now, more than ever before, I see life as such a beautiful precious gift from God, never to be taken for granted.

Many of us continue to experience the noose of bigotry and the gravity of racism. The political climate of the past four years left many of us feeling depressed, clinging to threads of hope. And then there were our own additional personal trials. In February of 2020 my mom was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. This disease is brutal. Although it has been a gut-wrenching decline of her body and mind, in the midst of the challenge there have been beautiful cathartic gifts. In very intricate detail my mom has revealed truths her life that have been hidden. She has uncovered family secrets and lies that have been shrouded in shame, veiled in the silence. She has told me truths about my childhood that she needed to verbalize and that I desperately needed to know. God didn’t cause this disease, but He allowed her to experience something that would set us both free. And I have discovered beauty in it all.

Every day that I awaken, every day that I am blessed to see, is a great day.

If the challenging trials of 2020 didn’t cause us to appreciate the gift of life, the people in our lives, then I don’t believe anything will.

Not until we experience a challenge, can we truly appreciate the gift.

QUESTION: In the midst of 2020-2021 what challenges did you experience and what gifts did you discover?

P.S. If this post has touched your heart consider sharing it with a friend and sowing a seed here.