2020

I’ve been quiet most of 2020, in part it has been on purpose because I have felt like there has been a lot of noise and instead of contributing to that noise I’ve been quiet and on the other hand it’s been one heck of a year and I haven’t made time to sit down and write my thoughts.

So why write now? Because I’ve put it off long enough.

2020 has been quite the year for literally everyone: We’ve lived during a worldwide pandemic, hurricane after hurricane, fires, crisis after crisis; financial, political, and moral. At some points every day feeling like it has come with a new struggle.

Personally 2020 has had some really high highs and very low lows. It’s has been the absolute weirdest year to be MK’s first year of life. At times I felt robbed of all the “firsts”. Kyle and I both celebrated our 30ths in quarantine. I went back to work for a week and a day before we shut down. I battled at work to keep a job that I knew I could handle I just needed to figure out this new rhythm. The gym shut down and Kyle didn’t work for 2 months.

While all of those things have been absolutely terrifying I can honestly sit here and say “IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL” 2020 has required more effort to stay at peace and trust the Lord than any other time in my life.

Kyle and I agree that 2020 has been the best year for our family. We have grown closer as a family of 3 because Kyle got to spend 2 months at home with MK and I that we never would have gotten without a national shut down. We have seen continued financial blessing. We took walks we never would have taken, we’ve had conversations we never would have had and we have cherished every moment with family possible. We have pushed ourselves to grow in a season that could have felt stifling -we pushed through.

I wanted to offer some practical tips for surviving your personal 2020.

1.Slow down. Stop the whirlwind. Gather yourself and stop what you’re doing. Quiet your mind. Breathe deep and don’t move forward until you are standing on solid ground.

2.Let the emotion out- we are taught to hold it in and act tough. Well that’s not how I roll… sit in the moment and allow yourself to feel the emotion of the moment you are in. Cry, scream, laugh, talk it out- to absolute death if necessary. (Sorry Kyle)

3.Don’t stay there. Get up slowly and press forward. Know that whatever season you find yourself in there is hope, there is grace and there is peace. All you have to do is access it.

For me all of these things are centered around my faith. I turn off the TV and turn up the worship music and drown out the rest of the world. It’s choosing to be grateful by saying out loud the things I appreciate. It’s prayer. It’s focusing on things that have nothing to do with me. I’m a firm believer that the things you focus on get bigger … Focus on the good! It’s being still when the rest of the world is out of control. It’s asking God to fill my mind with peace and thanking Him for it in advance.

May we come out of this year stronger and ready to take on anything life throws our way having learned all we can in 2020 so that we don’t have to repeat the same lessons over again in 2021.

What do you do to steady your soul? How do you stop the whirlwind?