The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

2020 sucks. We’ve all said it and we’ve all felt it really deep in our bones. COVID has taken a lot of things away from us and it’s easy to get so focused on what we’re missing that we may have missed wonderful things happening right in front of our eyes.

It was hard for me not to feel personally attacked by COVID this year, especially with two of my kids being in school. The oldest had a quarter of his kindergarten year taken away from him. He didn’t get to do those fun spring activities like track and field day or finish out his first year of full-day school with his friends. The middle child was in his first year of preschool. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do their Thanksgiving Stone Soup due to a snow storm, then there was no spring concert and he didn’t get to celebrate his birthday at school. This year there is yet again no stone soup and there won't be a Christmas concert. We didn’t get to spend hardly any time at all with my brother’s family and usually summers are filled with Kansas cousin time. I spent a lot of time this year being really angry about things that were taken away from my kids.

However, as we approach the holidays, I have made a very conscious effort to think about what 2020 (while it will probably forever be my least favorite year) gave us. It gave us time at home together that we may not have had as much of otherwise. It gave us insight into what is really most important. It gave us laughs, snuggles, triumphs and also tears. It gave us the chance to get to know our kids even better; how they learn, what they excel at, what’s hard for them and how they feel. It gave us an appreciation for teachers, coaches, administrators, daycare providers, pastors, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and all the other people that play important roles in our children’s lives.

In the last six months, my kids have gained so much confidence and independence. The youngest’s vocabulary has absolutely exploded and he’s morphed from a little baby into a sassy toddler. The oldest has perfected the art of sarcasm and I couldn’t be more proud. My middle child has discovered a love for drawing, coloring and along with that came a sense of pride in his work. But the best thing to watch for me has been the three of them developing that bond that only brothers have. They are each other's best friends and worst enemies. Of course there are days when they are at each other’s throats, but while I don’t think they’d ever admit to it out loud, they really are best buds.

There were a lot of bad things about this year, but there were also a lot of good things. I'm choosing to focus on the good. As you reflect on what 2020 took from you, I urge you to also look closely at what 2020 gave you. Don’t take the silver linings for granted.