Can you believe it’s the last day of 2020?! I’m excited to bring you the last blog of this year, AND it’s a guest blog!! I’ve known this amazing woman her entire life… my little sister, Brianne Safir! Take a few moments to soak up her words and get ready for 2021! The best is yet to come!

“A Thrill of Hope, The Weary World Rejoices” by Brianne Safir

I’m a planner, which means I usually forget to enjoy the present because my brain is already thinking 29 steps ahead to the next thing. Even with the dumpster-fire that was 2020, I was admittedly slightly too excited to break out my new 2021 planner.

Every year, instead of listing out a handful of resolutions, which I know I won’t keep, I pick a word to focus on. Once I have that word locked in, I pull out my new, crisp planner, research the perfect quotes that use my word from some of my favorite authors, and start filling the margins of my planner for the year ahead.

In 2020, that word was ‘breathe’ and up until about April I did a pretty good job of keeping that word front and center in my daily routine. I had my quotes mapped out and I was constantly on the lookout for my word out in the ‘wild’ (the best was finding it on the package of a loaf of French bread on a particularly hectic day).

And then we got to May, when I think many of us collectively began holding our breath, waiting for all the shoes to drop as the realities of what was happening in our world, in our country, became undeniably clear.

Somehow, in this strange time warp of a year, we’ve made it to the end of December. The final countdown to 2021 has begun, and I know so many people are looking and hoping for normalcy right now. And I truly hope those seeking their new normal in 2021 find it (while still wearing a mask, please and thank you!). But I also hope we remember that ‘normal’ looks very different to everyone and that sometimes ‘normal’ is anything but. Normal to many is wondering how they are going to put food on the table this week. Normal to many is holding their breath, praying their sons and daughters return home safely from getting ice cream because the color of their skin makes them a constant target. And normal for the families of the 340,000, and counting, people who have lost their fight against COVID is figuring out what this life looks like without their people.

Austin Channing Brown summed it up best: “I don’t know of anyone who thinks the world is suddenly going to change when we reach 2021. But there are folks desperately clinging to the hope of a new beginning. I won’t disparage those who crave hope. I’ll rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve.”

There is no switch to flip, no magic wand, no three wishes from a genie that will fix all of the horrors, missteps, catastrophes, pain, and grief coming out of 2020. But together, I hope, we can begin to educate ourselves and piece together a better, fairer, more just version of normal that every single human deserves.

And as I chase my particular slice of normal in this moment, I’ll pick my word of 2021 (spoiler: there are actually two words), break out the planner, and hope to spark a bit of light and encouragement for myself, and others, coming out of a particularly dark and dreary year.

Laughter.

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don’t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.” -Shauna Niequist

Boundaries.

“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.” -Brené Brown

“Good news: most people are surprisingly respectful with boundaries. Folks take a ‘no’ better than I suspected. When I say, ‘Thank you for inviting me into this good thing of yours. It is as extraordinary as you are. But any new “yes” I give means a “no” to my family and sanity. Please accept my sincere regrets and count on my prayers,’ most people are amazing. You can say no, and no one will die.” -Jen Hatmaker

💗

Photo Credit: J A N U P R A S A D (Unsplash)