Well, here it is - the obligatory New Year’s post. I almost didn’t write it, to be honest. But then I got to thinking, and I realised I have nothing major to be disappointed about. I’ve many reasons, in fact, to be happy and even proud.
I’m not into all those memes about 2020 and 2021. People saying “walk in nice and slow and don’t touch anything” or “no one is posting about 2021 being my year - y’all are scared, aren’t you?” I don’t buy into that sort of thing. I’m not one of these people damning 2020. It’s hardly as if we can blame a year, anymore than one might blame a season or April Fool’s Day. Man is responsible for the evolution of the coronavirus, and man is responsible for the response to it - the erroneous belief that we can in fact control the path of a novel disease and carve one more step in the stairway to the perfect life.
I'm not under any pretensions, however, that 2021 will be any better from a pandemic perspective. I'm praying that there'll be significantly more common sense influencing decisions made by governing authorities. I'm hoping that people will learn that thriving in life is worth as much - well, actually, more - than plain old surviving. I'm hoping that our governments will understand this and respect people's desires to live well and be autonomous. I'm hoping medical treatments will be utilised without unnecessary politics. But who really knows?
For us, it's been a landmark sort of year for our family. Michael and I had a baby, and Holly has been a real source of joy and normality to us. There's nothing like a baby to remind you about the impracticality of social distancing rules. Holly is now nearly seven months. She is full of energy and enthusiasm for life. She crawls about and loves to feed herself bread and bun and broccoli. She's cut two teeth, and you see them often when she smiles. She loves to play games and hear music.
Michael's teaching has gone well this year, and he's done some study on the side. I taught singing, piano, and literacy extension for the best part of three terms, but took a bit over a term off on maternity leave. I also wrote three book-sized projects, which will be waiting in the wings like many of my other projects while The Fledgling Account is finished. The revisions were completed on my seventh book, so that one will be releasing soon in 2021. And then there is just one book left in that series. I signed a new publishing contract that saw my books switch companies although stay with the same figurehead. I did some performing and interestingly enough tried some recording with a new microphone my husband and I bought. I made an album for my daughter and one for family and friends. We explored northern Queensland for the first time and took a holiday with Holly to the Gold Coast later in the year. I grieved the loss of my dear Yorkie Peyton and adopted another dog, but unfortunately had to give her up when she didn't want to play second fiddle to Holly, even after four months of trying to make it work. Bella, our second dog, now lives with a lady across town, who dotes on her. I give her haircuts every six weeks, so I still see her then. We've made it through 2020 with achievements on the side and a beautiful little daughter.
There are certainly things that could have been so much better about 2020. There are wounds that still hurt. But we have been blessed despite those things, and as the song says, "I know who holds tomorrow". So I don't need to walk in real quietly and not touch things and hold my breath or whatever the memes say. There's lots that's uncertain. But I know the most important Certainty, and He controls the future.
The pictures with this post are some reminders that good things can happen even during a pandemic.
Happy New Year to you all.
I’m not into all those memes about 2020 and 2021. People saying “walk in nice and slow and don’t touch anything” or “no one is posting about 2021 being my year - y’all are scared, aren’t you?” I don’t buy into that sort of thing. I’m not one of these people damning 2020. It’s hardly as if we can blame a year, anymore than one might blame a season or April Fool’s Day. Man is responsible for the evolution of the coronavirus, and man is responsible for the response to it - the erroneous belief that we can in fact control the path of a novel disease and carve one more step in the stairway to the perfect life.
I'm not under any pretensions, however, that 2021 will be any better from a pandemic perspective. I'm praying that there'll be significantly more common sense influencing decisions made by governing authorities. I'm hoping that people will learn that thriving in life is worth as much - well, actually, more - than plain old surviving. I'm hoping that our governments will understand this and respect people's desires to live well and be autonomous. I'm hoping medical treatments will be utilised without unnecessary politics. But who really knows?
For us, it's been a landmark sort of year for our family. Michael and I had a baby, and Holly has been a real source of joy and normality to us. There's nothing like a baby to remind you about the impracticality of social distancing rules. Holly is now nearly seven months. She is full of energy and enthusiasm for life. She crawls about and loves to feed herself bread and bun and broccoli. She's cut two teeth, and you see them often when she smiles. She loves to play games and hear music.
Michael's teaching has gone well this year, and he's done some study on the side. I taught singing, piano, and literacy extension for the best part of three terms, but took a bit over a term off on maternity leave. I also wrote three book-sized projects, which will be waiting in the wings like many of my other projects while The Fledgling Account is finished. The revisions were completed on my seventh book, so that one will be releasing soon in 2021. And then there is just one book left in that series. I signed a new publishing contract that saw my books switch companies although stay with the same figurehead. I did some performing and interestingly enough tried some recording with a new microphone my husband and I bought. I made an album for my daughter and one for family and friends. We explored northern Queensland for the first time and took a holiday with Holly to the Gold Coast later in the year. I grieved the loss of my dear Yorkie Peyton and adopted another dog, but unfortunately had to give her up when she didn't want to play second fiddle to Holly, even after four months of trying to make it work. Bella, our second dog, now lives with a lady across town, who dotes on her. I give her haircuts every six weeks, so I still see her then. We've made it through 2020 with achievements on the side and a beautiful little daughter.
There are certainly things that could have been so much better about 2020. There are wounds that still hurt. But we have been blessed despite those things, and as the song says, "I know who holds tomorrow". So I don't need to walk in real quietly and not touch things and hold my breath or whatever the memes say. There's lots that's uncertain. But I know the most important Certainty, and He controls the future.
The pictures with this post are some reminders that good things can happen even during a pandemic.
Happy New Year to you all.
