Oh 2020, where do I start? It's been A YEAR, that's for sure... filled with the pandemic, the riots in the US, the presidential election that rocked the world and murder hornets to name a few. But at the same time, there have been such unexpected gifts, extraordinary moments and massive blessings.
Not going to sugar coat, there were some very tough circumstances. In mid-February, as I've mentioned before, my cousin Ronell contracted bacterial meningitis and almost lost his life. He was unconscious for almost a week and it was an insanely difficult time. Thankfully, he regained consciousness and it's been a slow and steady climb with so many ups and downs and ebbs and flows. His strong spirit prevails through it all and I admire his courage so intensely. My very favourite uncle and my cousin, Ronell's dad had a massive heart attack in November and underwent emergency surgery. Thankfully, he is also slowly recovering.
2020 also brought my mom, a front line nurse in NYC, contracting Covid in March. We saw them right when things were shutting down. Before she contracted it, I had some strong bouts of anxiety, praying and worrying for her and my older dad, D and my other brother in the medical field as well as so many family members in NYC. Thankfully though her disease lasted 28 days, her symptoms were moderate and she was able to manage treatment at home... and my dad who was her primary caregiver never contracted it! She is much better now... there are a few side effects still, but she is a survivor!
So yes, some major happenings with some of my favourite family members but so much to also be thankful for ...
This January, it will be five years since we've been in our current home. This year we've managed to knock quite a few things off D's honey do-list, thanks quarantine... Guess what? Our bathroom and bedroom doors are no longer glass pained... we have privacy! We have some sort of shade in the back yard, got rid of a defunct hot tub and started to sort out our outdoor furniture situation. We also, for the first time, did a vegetable garden and it brought so much joy and learning to us... we were eating tomatoes from our trees up until November! Our neighbourhood is changing with some of our favourites leaving but really great ones coming as well. We are very blessed to be in this community where Sheila walks our puppy, Susan brings us eggs from the farm, Lidia and Frania bring us treats and Tanner shovels our driveway.
C is now beginning sixth grade and after four grades is finally not in a split where she is the younger kid. It is a wonderful leadership opportunity for her. She had so many plans for extracurricular as the most senior grade within the school but because of the way things are with Covid, there is nothing. She was disappointed but rolled with the punches like she usually does. She has the most wonderful teacher who gets her, challenges her and respects her and she is thriving in her class with great grades. She's in her fourth year of competitive swim and still plays the violin though doesn't practise anywhere nearly as often as she should. She had her first sleepover in January and was bitterly disappointed that she couldn't go to horseback riding sleepaway camp in August. She is a full-on preteen with the hormones rearing their ugly head now and again but she is level headed, brave and bright. I am loving our conversations and her introspections and insights on any and everything.
A is now in the third grade of French immersion in a 3-4 split and has one of C's old teachers... another strong teacher! I was nervous about her being one of very few Grade 3's in the class but this kid seems to have found her tribe. She is not in enrichment this year because of the classroom bubbles. She still plays the piano and got through and tried competitive swimming but didn't love it and struggled being the smallest by a longshot in the class so we decided to take her out of it. She is always flipping and rolling and twisting and stretching but we decided not to do gymnastics this year with her because of covid. We can reassess next year. A also struggled with intense tummy pains quite a bit this year so she is going to go gluten-free next year. We are carefully navigating through this lifestyle and we will support her in any which way we can by really limiting the gluten in our household. We are hoping she gets some sort of resolution. She asks a lot of questions, is really into family and her antics sometimes frustrate us but also make us laugh all the time.
Both kids are closer than they have ever been, have many similar interests and inside jokes but bicker more than they ever had... yay Covid;-s.
D has been working from home since March. We had some teething problems with faulty internet, phone lines that kept cutting off, dodgy backgrounds (no one needs to see their colleague with his scotch collection as his background), a barking dog and screaming kids. He seems to have found his stride with a folding table in our guest bedroom (his office doesn't have the best internet) and a closed door... and the kids back in school! He only goes into the hospital once or twice a week. He loves his warm midday lunches and has told me how he realised how very much I do all day at home, ha!
We started off the year with a family trip to Houston not knowing it would be our last trip for a while!
At the beginning of the year, we made our travel plans for the year as we are early planners... we were just about to head to Jamaica with my family when we had to cancel our trips. We also had to cancel summer plans to Portugal and Spain... all of the flights and Air BNB's were already booked. Our summer plans to visit Trinidad for my cousin's wedding and my usual NYC trip were also cancelled. However, we headed up to Lions' Head and Toblemory for a few days away in August and then to Sarnia to visit some friends at their weekend home as well. It was good to get away for a bit.
This was also the year of pets. In August of this year, after C did so much research, the girls got their first pet. A winter white hamster named Mochi. They loved her so and she made them laugh so very much. Sadly, Mochi passed away on Christmas Day (in true 2020 fashion) --- much to their devastation.
We also got a family pet... our beloved Toby who we adopted from a local animal hospital. Toby has filled our lives with so much more antics, laughter, purpose and empathy. We love him so...
But compared to some other families who've lost so much, we have lots to be grateful for. We were all for the most part healthy. The memories we are making at home are so special. We ate ALL of the food... from childhood favourites to healthy treats to different internet specialties. We also did ALL of the walking as it was a way to get the kids out of the house so thankfully I didn't pack on all of the pounds from all of the food I ate. We did art as a family, game nights, swam quite a bit, baked, danced, sang and did many facetime and zoom calls and parties. Though some days seemed like Groundhog Days, I love the family time, the peace, the slowness and the quiet.
We are also thankful for all the support, family and friendships we have in our lives. I did many long outdoor walks with friends and neighbours and they nourished my soul in the height of lockdown. We also managed a few local small outdoor gatherings which helped us to maintain some sort of semblance of normalcy before Ontario started tightening their zones/numbers again. Thanks to those friends who dropped off cookies, donuts and little treats to brighten our days. Kindness was the name of the game in 2020. Thank God for Facetime as we were able to touch base with family and friends who we couldn't meet up with in person. I miss my family terribly but I'm holding out hope that I can see them in 2021.
Despite a year like no other, we are very grateful for all of our fortunes and the learnings we gained in 2020. There is so much we want to keep from this year and certainly parts of normal life we want back again. I hope that 2021 is brings so much joy to all of your lives. Thank you for reading and following along this year.
What a year. I just hope 2021 sees improvement in all situations!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post, it made me tear up! It made me think of all of the things we have been through, while being so so fortunate! Bless your family and a Happy New Year! Bring it on 2021, we can do anything (apparently!).
ReplyDelete2020 was a rough year but I am glad you can see the good moments. Happy New Year
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