Beech Tree News Network

Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) said, “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier’ (https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/alfred-lord-tennyson-quotes). The year of 2020 has been different and difficult. I believe many will welcome 2021, as Tennyson said, hoping it will be happier. For my family, 2020 has been overshadowed by the pandemic and family trials with some family blessings scattered throughout.

First, the pandemic has been a stumbling block in our daily lives. Most of us have quarantined, worn masks, washed hands and sanitized surfaces, and social distanced ourselves until we are tired. Most of us also know someone who has died from COVID-19; the number of deaths are sadly beyond comprehension. Thankfully, vaccinations are being given, and in a month, we will have many who have had the second vaccination and have some immunity. Hopefully by middle-to-late 2021, the pandemic will not be as uncontrolled as it is now.

Second, 2020 has been a year of grief for my family – as it has for many other families. We have lost family members through death and divorce. The U.S. death rate for 2020 will be unusually high, and we know that each death leaves friends and family grieving. In April, 2020, a Business Insider article (https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-us-weekly-coronavirus-deaths-compa...) stated: “More than 13,000 Americans died last week from COVID-19, surpassing past weekly averages for other common causes of death like heart disease and cancer.” And the death rate of COVID-19 has only increased since April. My 90-year-old mother said that our family has been hit hard this year, and I agree.

Third, my family has been blessed with glimmers of joy as well. So far this year, my extended family has been blessed with a new baby, an announcement of expected twins due in 2021, an engagement, a wedding, a couple of retirements, new living quarters for some, and several recoveries from COVID-19. We have been blessed. I count these events as God’s reminders that He is still in control.

So as we count down to the New Year, I will not be sad knowing that 2020 is coming to a close. Even with my family’s blessings, I feel battered by the year’s events. Like the Tennyson quote, I hope 2021 will be a happier year.