Advent Origami
2020 has been a year like no other. She has invited me to seek regeneration, renewal, and rebirth - each and every day.
The politics of 2020 has been disheartening, shattering, and fractured.
A sign of our hearts, inward mankind, our nation, and our world.
The science of 2020 has been captivating, engaging, enough and not enough.
A sign of our times and inadequacies. We have much to learn, even as we know much.
The beating heart of 2020 calls, invites, daily.
Offer compassion for the one I can see and the one I cannot.
Act on behalf of the one I can see and the one I cannot.
This is enough. It is. Enough.
Just when I thought it was my time, my year, to wander a bit from the nest I ended up staying close and mothering two high schoolers who don't really need me, but rather need laughter in our home, healthy meals, new tools in mental health, and continued to affirmation it's time for them to leap from the nest even in the chaos of Covid-19. Indeed, they can and do.
My year has been spent mentoring 120 seniors and 62 juniors in college and career planning. The journey has taken bends not anticipated as many students abandon college. They lean towards the trades or begin working to help supplement their families incomes. It's been a huge privilege and responsibility to help shape student futures and outcomes, always with the aim to help families out of poverty and help students find footholds for their futures. Prevent and prepare continues to be my aim in community work.
My year has been spent in seeking meaning within my community. Safe Families for Children called a few times this year and we had the privilege of helping with 2 boys during the months of September and October. We've also been able to reconnect with a single mom in our region as she copes through the Covid-19 holiday season. We kept two of her kiddos during May of 2019 and she's continuing to move towards independence and success as she waits for a Habitat for Humanity home. I help at community kitchen. I assist elderly parents facing a pandemic our nation is wholly unprepared for, the cost to our elderly unprecedented and depressing.
2020: Rain and Rainbows
Jason has worked from home on again and off again and his presence has been a delight - as long as he doesn't take internet bandwidth from online students :-) His project load his huge right now, but as always, he is rock solid and brings much of the antics and game nights into our home. He's still mentoring college engineering teams at George Fox and he keeps rowing. He has gotten more and more involved in Amateur Radio Emergency Services for our county and is on the leadership team. He's often scouting antenna locations in the hills and takes one of the kids with him.
When All Else Fails...Amateur Radio... A Quiet Thanksgiving Day at the Beach
Our little GRIT, girl raised in the south, has had an amazing and resilient year. While she has missed many senior moments and there's a sadness that accompanies that she continues to face each day and invest with curiosity and resilience (and of course, books).
She participated in an OHSU science research experience in spring, added an internship with the Marion County Public Defender over the summer, added a barn for working and riding over the summer, continues her work at a current barn, continues helping prepare and serve take out for our local community kitchen, and is leading and mentoring virtual Mock Trial at her HS this year, all while she applies for Chemical and Biological Engineering programs, manages a compressed HS class schedule, and is a National Merit Semifinalist. As she's endeavored and endured, she's had a few bumps with her Ulcerative colitis this year which ultimately led to a change of care teams.
We look back at the flares of spring and fall and realize God was opening the door to new options and solutions for her. For surely, "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord," and "He redeems the years the locust have eaten". The change of medical teams and new diagnostics has led to a new diagnosis of mild Ulcerative colitis over the older diagnosis of mild to moderate Ulcerative colitis. Her discipline, resilience, and grit and her openness over the years to herbals, dietary changes, and even now, TCM and acupuncture keep her off of immunosuppresants. As she prepares for college, we are deeply grateful for a new medical team, healing in her gut, and God's goodness.
Power Pole Snowflake
(I've always wanted this image.
I manged to get one before it went up.)
What to say about the Peanut Brother? He still eats a lot of peanut butter! He is finally taller than his sister and keeps us on our toes. He is the one up at 12 p.m.. making merry music to the tunes he creates in his head.
He has loved, in many ways, the move to online schooling with the freedom to tinker and create and craft. The lack of time with friends (due to at risk grandparents nearby and GRIT's Ulcerative colitis) have been challenging for him, but he has still been able to participate in socially distanced youth group.
This summer saw a decent amount of paddle boarding for him and outdoor time with friends. And we are deeply grateful he was able to play club soccer this fall. The team and club has been truly awesome this year. He's pondering trying cross country when club soccer takes a break at the end of January. He helped coach "Little Kickers Soccer" for one of our local YMCA's this fall, plus helped at community kitchen. Sadly, he was not able to referee in 2020, but reffing in winter 2021 looks promising.
He has managed (most of the time) wonderfully with a compressed HS schedule. This fall/winter he's been managing a year's worth of content in 4.5 months for Honors Algebra 2 and Honors Biology plus he's been able to take Art, Digital Art, and Programming 1 and Programming 2. We are hoping with Oregon's new guidelines they will get at least 2 days a week in school when semester 2 begins. He's tried floating the idea of a junior year gap year in which he simply creates 24/7 and I'm game to the idea, but he can't get it past his dad.
Soccer in the Fog
This is my 2020 image of the year. It symbolizes so much to me: keep engaging and playing in the ball game of life even when you cannot see what is around the bend, even when you cannot see your team. Trust they are there. Your team is there. Just pass the ball to the guy you can see. He will kick it forward. Together we win.
For surely, we must advance in our togetherness and in our aloneness at the same time, or we will not advance at all. We are hitched together on this planet for better or worse. In our togetherness and aloneness, let's create hope.
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