Read on Twitter
2020 has been a dreadful, traumatizing year filled with tragedy and heartache. But for a second, I want to focus on what a great year it has been. A thread. (1/20)
2. The pandemic forced us to stay home, knocking my two elementary-age children out of their classrooms and onto Zoom. We never will in our lives spend this much time together again and these memories will be with us forever.
3. My home office used to be a tiny desk in the corner of my basement. Now it’s a larger desk, although still in the basement.
4. My son hit his first homerun. I pitched to him and some joggers in the parking lot applauded when it landed near them. Even in a pandemic, it was magic.
5. My daughter lost her opportunity to perform her spring dance recital, but the ballet company gave her the dress. She performed the dance in our carport. Even in a pandemic, it was magic.
6. We are healthy and so are the members of our extended family. We are fortunate. Stay at home and wear a mask, folks.
7. Our employers, hurting though they may be, haven’t laid us off, so we’ve not experienced the terrible economic pain of many of our fellow citizens. I recognize the privilege here and pray for my country.
8. I finished the manuscript for my first book, due out Fall 2021 by @ABRAMSbooks.
9. My @Braves were a handful of outs away from the World Series and delivered great baseball in a difficult time.
10. Extremists tried to leverage this period to destroy us, but society held. The race war they have predicted for generations did not come. It’s not who we are.
11. We find ourselves bitterly divided as a nation, yet peace reigns. Yes, there are protests and yes some are violent, but this is not how the overwhelming majority of us settle our disagreements.
12. My church community has not met in person since March, but we meet online multiple times a week. God shows us that fellowship is durable and we live in a time of miracles.
13. My children have not been in a classroom since this all started, yet their remarkable teachers soldier on, teaching them and caring for them, smiling all the while. They are heroes and saints.
14. As 2020 ends, we have newfound respect for the nurses, doctors and technicians who have given everything – including, for some, their very lives – to care for us. They have always been these people, but now we know.
15. Musicians made music, artists made art, dancers danced and singers sang. The unbreakable creative spirit shown in our dark time.
16. Technology, however imperfect, rescued many of us from isolation and loneliness and allowed others to work from home, keeping the virus from spreading even more.
17. Our mail carriers, trash collectors, grocery clerks, delivery drivers and many other people who never get the credit they deserve are recognized as essential. We should remember that and thank them.
18. People voted, in unheard of numbers, including some who had never voted before because they did not see themselves reflected in their government. This is the first step in recovering our democracy from its peril.
19. I bought a shoe organizer for my closet. Not a huge deal, but an upgrade.
20. We are all ready for 2021, and may it be better than this one. But I'm also grateful for the blessings, small and great, of 2020. #selah
