This is what I put together for our Christmas letter this year, and as I sit here just hours from 2020 coming to a close, I'm reminded just how much more I could have said about this last year. But maybe I'll just save that for another day. And for now, I'll just say, 2020 was filled with so many life changes and fun adventures and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for our family as we continue to abide by Him and allow Him to guide our path.
Every day since Thanksgiving I've been saying to Peter, I need to write our Christmas letter. I need to get on that. And every single day, after we put the kids to bed, I tap out a few sentences and continue to put it off! So here we are, a week into December. The kids are fast asleep, and I have no excuse. However, the truth is, I don't really know what to say about this year. Or perhaps I don't really know where to start? So I'll just start at the beginning.
The year started off on a high note with a family trip to Hawaii, then COVID hit. Soon after that in-person learning ended for my kids, my mom had a stroke the same day I found out I was losing my job, and my dad landed himself in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism just a few days after my mom came home from rehab. Let's just say it was a wild few months for our family, and honestly, it's been a wild year.
I feel like it's fair to say that this year has felt really hard in so many different ways for so many people, and yet this year has also held so many silver linings amidst all those hard moments. Over this last year, we've watched friends walk through cancer diagnoses, treatment and surgeries, job losses, babies being born, depression, feelings of isolation, relatives dying, marital issues, and the list goes on and on. The reality is, life goes on even amidst a pandemic - we still experience the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, we still grieve and rejoice, we still despair and hope. If this year has taught me anything it's how we can hold all of those emotions simultaneously. How we can grieve the situation we find ourselves in, while also rejoicing in that same situation. I can grieve the job loss; yet also rejoice in the extra family time. I can grieve the loss of alone time, while also rejoicing in all of this togetherness.
When I think back on this last year, I can see that even amidst all the hard stuff there was so much joy. And so much togetherness. Let's definitely not forget all the togetherness! We did a two-week road trip down the Oregon coast into Northern California in honor of Peter's 40th birthday. So many miles traveled, so many places visited, so many beds slept in, so much laughter, and so many beautiful memories made. Peter's already daydreaming about our next adventure. We hope to do an extended stay in Ireland sometime next year. But alas, we wait to see how things unfold.
We learned so much this year. Peter learned how to work amidst the chaos and the noise that is our home. Jack learned that he loves history and facts! Ryan learned how to read and write. Conor learned so many new words and he learned how to use the potty! And I've learned that there's still so much growth to be done in me - I love my children, but I've never spent this much time with them. You can just imagine how the day unfolds, the energy, the noise, the laughter, the yelling, the tears. Sounds delightful doesn't it? Every single day I'm so grateful for the Lord's grace, for the Hope that is found in Him, and that His mercies are new every morning!
And if there's anything we have all learned over the last several years it's that life is filled with so much waiting and hoping. And this last year has been filled with so much of both. We wait and hope for healing, we wait and hope for a new job, we wait and hope for different circumstances in a new year. And here we are in December, waiting and hoping. So much growth happens in the waiting. And I love that growth. My hope and prayer is that we all come out of this year stronger, stronger in our character, stronger in our faith, stronger in our relationships, more aware of what is important to us, more able to strip away all the things that don't matter and grow hopeful hearts, especially in this Advent season.
With Love and Hope,
Peter, Malia, Jack (soon to be 8), Ryan (just turned 6) + Conor (2 3/4)
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