2020 -- Thank You For the Lesson

As we approach the one year mark of this season of life, I wanted to share a bit of my heart with you.

I know this might come as a shock to some -- but I am a (recovering) control freak.  For most of my life I have tried to control every outcome and manage all of my emotions neatly.  Hello, 2020!  Thank you for the wakeup call!

Life does not work that way.  And while controlling things can sometimes be positive, it can also suck the life right out of you.  To be transparent, I was tired.  So incredibly tired.  Mentally.  Physically.  Emotionally.  Even financially.

2020 was hard.  All of it seemed to be so stinkin’ hard.  And, some days it continues to feel hard.  But, with that said, I’m powering on.  As a small business owner.  As a wife.  As a mom.  As a friend.

I found it hard to focus.  I found it hard to get anything accomplished.  I found it hard to have a good attitude.  And, sometimes I still do.  Parenting is hard.  Maintaining friendships is often hard.  Work is hard.  Volunteering is hard.  Paying bills is hard.  Marriage is hard.  Distance learning is hard.

But, if 2020 taught me anything, it’s that we CAN do hard, friends.  Pray Hard.  Work Hard.  Study Hard.  Give Hard.  Love Hard.  Parent Hard.  Teach Hard.  Cry Hard.  Coffee Hard.

This year was hard, but we also went hard.  We tackled it head on.  As a small business, we thought outside the box on what to do with our hard.  It doesn’t matter if we failed or fell a few times along the way, we were present and we gave it 100%.  We recognize that we wouldn’t be where we are today without all of YOU.  Our biggest cheerleaders.  Our prayer warriors.  Our friends.  Collectively, we went through something that affected us all in some way.

Change is hard, inevitable, and often unexpected, but change is GOOD and it drives us towards new adventures and experiences in our lives.  So, thank you 2020 for this lesson.  We are never done learning and growing.  And actually, that’s kind of awesome.  And when we are teachable, the challenges of life become opportunities for us to grow and expand in ways we never even considered.

It’s important for us to find and focus on the good and the positive things that have happened.  If we look for it, we will find it.  Sometimes the twists and turns along the way create the most amazing story.  And, sometimes it’s simply ok to not be ok.  We are still navigating a pandemic.  Still in strange times.  We are overwhelmed and tired, and we are wondering when and if we will ever feel a sense of normalcy.

As I continue to find my way back to myself, I promise to keep showing up and going doing what I love!  Providing a very special space on our little corner in Monmouth, Illinois.  That’s one thing that 2020 couldn’t fully take away from us.  From the very bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing by us on this journey.