Every year, I write a Christmas letter to family. The tradition started with my father’s letters to his family and friends. I simply carry it on. My husband maintains a family website where he’s collected PDFs of all these letters. It makes for a grand family history.
In preparation for this blog, I looked at the 2019 Christmas letter. It was filled with references to trips to Florida and Chicago and visits to family, attendance at volleyball and football games, and pictures of the grandchildren. When I think about what I have to write about for the 2020 letter, I become a bit depressed. No trips. No ball games. No family gatherings with pictures. I don’t even know if we can host a big crowd for Thanksgiving Dinner.
2020 has been some sort of odd year with the pandemic and quarantines and protests. I’ve been faced with a major health problem. The days seem to run together. The routine is…well…routine.
But I still maintain a sense of humor. I buy a Christmas ornament every year. This is the 2020 one! LOL!
I can be thankful for still having a funny bone. I remain thankful for my husband who takes such good care of me. I’m thankful for my children and stepchildren and all ten grandchildren. That never changes, no matter if we don’t see each other often. I miss my horseback riding lessons and my volunteering but hope to return to those activities in 2021.
I’m also thankful for my Romance Gems writing buddies and my editor Karen. In 2020, I finished the Ghost Mountain Ranch series, and wrote two stories for two anthologies: Last Chance Beach: Summer's End and Christmas Comes to Dickens. Being able to network with a group of like-minded women this year has been valuable.
Several years ago, I researched 1968 and 1969 for a book. I lived through that time, but I was young. My mind was on friends and school and probably in the clouds. The research reminded me how filled with controversy those years were. I look back at my parents’ lives. They survived the Great Depression and WWII. Everyone’s life contains challenges. Ultimately, we learn from them. We can be thankful for the chance to change and learn and make the best of what troubles we face.
If you’d like to see how I managed to create a happily-ever-after ending back in the day, download A Groovy Christmas. It’s only 99 cents!
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What a year it's been, for sure. All the more important to be grateful. Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteThere are always things to be thankful for! We just need to look deep and we will see them!
ReplyDeleteI look at the positives of 2020, certainly not ideal but it was for me a good writing year and a good year to bond. I learned the importance of connectivity and real friendships. I had the scales removed from my eyes in so many ways, and all through it all I kept writing. Writing was my savior in many ways. Here's to better health, my friend.
ReplyDeleteI met you in 2020! Happy about that.
DeleteLove you Jan, meeting you and having your help and support will be one of my most cherished memories in 2020.
DeleteA great post and reminder. Simple and from the heart.
ReplyDeleteA lovely, uplifting post, Jan.
ReplyDeleteYes, even in difficult times there's much to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteI’m grateful that 3 of my friends have had now grandchildren come into the world! Life just keeps on even we think it can’t.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, Seems like you have accomplished a lot, writing and researching. Taking care of yourself should be on the list. And thanks to you I'm getting that ornaments for myself and some friends. I'll share their laughs with you.
ReplyDeleteLOL! What a cute ornament! 2020 is almost over. Glad we all survived and 2021 HAS to be better.
ReplyDelete