Remembering the Hard: 2020

Well, it has been quite the year, hasn't it...2020 has been a year that the world will never forget. Unfortunately that is true in a lot of not so great ways. There have been wildfires, social unrest, a contentious election, murder hornets, massive furloughs, oh and of course a global pandemic. And that list is just a sampling of the things that have made this a challenging year for people.

Many have aptly described 2020 as one big dumpster fire of a year. And in many ways, I would have to say I agree. It has been a tough, challenging year on all fronts. When I imagined what my year would look like back in January, this is certainly not what I had in mind. January and February were actually pretty normal - Shane and I got to see our baby for the first time at our 9 week ultrasound which was magical. And then we went to see Book of Mormon at the UF performing arts center...in person...with a lot of other people. There was even a fancy cocktail thing at intermission because I remember having to drink seltzer water and then we showed off our ultrasound pictures to Shane's parents and brother. 

Then February was a huge month for us because we went on a 10-day trip to the Holy Land. We spent 10-days exploring Israel as we walked in Jesus' footsteps and saw the biblical lands come alive. After we got back to the states, on Leap Day we drove up to Atlanta to watch the Olympic Trials for the marathon. Despite the cold weather, it was such a fun day and I got to see so many of my running heroes race through the streets of Atlanta!

Then, at the beginning of March we finally announced to the world that we were expecting. I will always cherish the Sunday morning when I told my congregation and everyone cheered...there might have been a small standing ovation. But just a few weeks later, everything shifted as the coronavirus escalated and we had to cancel all in-person worship and activities. From March 15 on, all my sermons were preached to an empty sanctuary and recorded to be shared online.   

Even beyond church, so many events and activities were cancelled. My parents cancelled their plans to come down to Florida for our gender reveal around Easter. Our hopes of having an in-person baby shower went to the wayside. Our tickets to see Hamilton in Jacksonville were postponed. And pretty much anything and everything was either cancelled or moved to Zoom/FaceTime. 

I know all of this was necessary and important - and if I could go back in time, I would do it all over again to help limit the spread of this virus. But it was hard. Even as an introvert, I spent a lot of time feeling isolated, lonely, homesick, and sad about all of the milestones and celebrations I wasn't able to share with my family and friends. On top of the emotional impacts, this year has also been scary as I have constantly worried about protecting not only my health but also doing all I can to protect the health of vulnerable groups.