This guy. It’s his day.

As hard as taking a step back from work was, it came with so many gifts. One of the gifts came quickly.

I have never been around on weekday mornings with the kids. We have always had incredible people who loved on them and got them ready for school each day. When school started back up this fall, Jon was working from home so he took over the morning routine.

And I got the privilege of witnessing it for the first time in December.

It’s been 20 years as a married pair! But it’s been this past year that has brought so much thought and reflection about our relationship as we pushed and pulled on our old beliefs, asking questions, seeking wise counsel, and solidifying what we really believe.

For those who have been following our Christmas tree/Pandemic tree journey: Yesterday, the tree came down. For 408 consecutive days, it brought light and joy and hope to our family and perhaps those traveling up our hill.

I’ve seen the posts, heard the chorus of so many lamenting this year. 2020 has become synonymous with hot messes, train wrecks, dumpster fires. But my perspective is quite different.

Ready??? 2020 has been life changing in every good way. Yep. You read it right. I am grateful for the year 2020.

Knowing gratitude is the antidote to fear, I have been intentional about focusing on gratitude and finding joy during the pandemic.  I’ll save some of the details for a future post, but wanted to tell you what is high on my gratitude/joy list right now and I want to hear what’s on yours! 

Here they are in no particular order: