A few days before Christmas, I got a call from my twenty year old son.
The first thing he said to me was, "Mom, I am ok.” Then he proceeded to tell me about totalling his car. He was four states away.
I came home, quickly packed, and headed out for a nine hour drive in a snowstorm to get him. As I was driving, I called our insurance agent. We have called our agent maybe twice in thirty-five years, but this year? We called him six times. We had kitchen floods, a tree fall on our gazebo, and lots of car drama. I could name so many more hard things that occurred this year, just in our home alone.
As I was driving, I thought, “Just another hard thing to chalk up to 2020 - the worst year.” I don't know about you, but I could not wait for this year to be over.
But now we are in a bright shiny new year, and so much remains the same. We do not get to turn the page and start a new story. There is still so much pain and hardship.
We are still wearing masks.
We are still struggling with the economic challenges of 2020.
We are still struggling with the needs of our special needs children.
I am still struggling with the needs and demands of children with RAD.
How do we successfully walk into the New Year when much remains the same?
I love to make lofty goals I want to accomplish in the New Year, and plan all the things that will be different.
This year, after so much bad news and doom scrolling, I want to walk into 2021 looking for signs of life. I am looking for kindness, beauty, and light. Our minds are drawn to the negative, but this year I want my mind to be drawn to what is positive and life giving.
One positive of Evan totalling his car and my impromptu drive to West Virginia? I got to spend a few days with him. This was time I would not have had over the busy holidays, and I am grateful for that.
How can you look for signs of life in the coming days and weeks?
I would love to hear about it.