January 1, 2021

We made it! At 12:01 am on Jan 1, for the first time ever, Hindsight will actually be 2020.  Hindsight means it is easier to evaluate situations when we are looking back at them, and with perfect vision (20/20). 

2020 was a year filled with isolation, fear, skepticism, loneliness, tragedy, depression, addiction, brain fog, strife, injustice, sacrifice, and much more. We learned so much about ourselves and the tremendous strength and perseverance we hold in times of difficulty.

Turning the calendar to 2021 doesn’t change everything, but what it gives us HOPE.  Hope, by definition, is a feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen.

Which brings me to my favorite bible verse from childhood, Hebrews 11:1 (KJV), memorized in the southeast Sunday school room of our church in rural central Iowa, the Carlton Brethren Church

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It’s as if this verse was ingrained in my mind for hope then and for this very moment. As we begin this year, my wish and prayers for 2021 are:

• To experience peace
• To be gentle with ourselves
• To be kind and gentle with others
• To be grateful for all we have
• To breathe
• To see the beauty around us
• To stay connected
• To remember what matters most in our lives
• To experience rest and joy
• To have good health and an end to the pandemic
• To continue to see humor in the everyday things

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with many blessings!