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Charisse Tierney looks back on the blessings her family found among the difficulties of 2020.

It’s as if by flipping our calendars, we hoped we’d flipped a magical switch. The surging numbers, the struggling economy, the full hospitals, and the endless obituaries -- we all wanted these things to dissolve into a distant memory of 2020.

But as I watched the world rush to say good bye to this past year, I found myself filled with mixed feelings. Because if we’re willing to look for the hand of God, we’ll always find blessings tucked away in the corners of our difficulties.

I’ve seen these blessings before. The friends who weren’t afraid to stop by with food and comfort the day after I miscarried my baby. The bag of chocolates I found sitting on my doorstep, left there by a friend just before we left for my 4-month-old’s open-heart surgery. The kind souls who didn’t hesitate to bring food and run errands for my parents when they were sick with COVID.

It’s so often the worst of times that bring out the best in people.

 

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If we’re willing to look for the hand of God, we’ll always find blessings tucked away in the corners of our difficulties. #catholicmom

I’m sure that someday, when I look back on 2020, there will be times that I will shudder in remembrance of how hard it was ... but I also hope that I will look back on that year and think of it as a turning point in our family culture. That was the year we started homeschooling. That was the year we took nature walks together and took the time to stop and watch tiny frogs going about their day at the edge of a pond. That was the year we found some of the prettiest fall leaves. That was the year we read together every day, prayed together every day, and ate our meals together every day. That was the year that I went on more dates with my husband. That was the year we had that perfect day at my parents’ house when the weather was beautiful, my kids were all unusually content, and we all felt joyful because my parents had recovered from COVID.

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I don’t want to rush into the unknown future. I want to rest a little longer right here until God nudges me forward. I want the sorrows to remind me of my mortality, and the joys to remind me of what awaits.

The worst of times, the best of people, and the miracles of a God who loves us. I hope that is how I will remember 2020.


Copyright 2021 Charisse Tierney
Image: Canva Pro