Togetherness: The Word of The Year for 2021

Happy 2021! I'm not one to wish away time, but I do hope 2021 is an improvement over 2020. I'm realistic enough to know that change won't happen immediately, but I do hope we return to some sort of normal this year!

2020 wasn't an awful year. It was just different, and it had its good moments and bad moments. One of the best parts of 2020 was all the time we were able to spend together as a family. That is exactly what made me start thinking about togetherness for my word of the year. 

The holiday season was great, but 2020 did not end well. Lexie was with her best friend's family when they experienced a tragic loss. We spent the past week praying and crying, and we're absolutely heartbroken for their family. We are reminded that time spent with family and friends is a precious gift that should be treasured and made a priority. If this year taught me anything, it’s that loved ones are EVERYTHING, which is why togetherness became my word for 2021.

Before I  move on to 2021, I wanted to do a really quick recap of 2020...

Lexie became a teenager

Coen turned 1

Coen had some scary seizures...he still has them from time to time, but we now know they are a response to stress, and he bounces back after a good sleep

We lost a loved one

We celebrated Lily’s 9th Birthday and Liam’s 7th Birthday

We started a new birthday tradition - hotel stays

We started hiking together again

Lily was able to have a somewhat normal cheer season

We socially distanced ourselves at the beach, and took my dad with us

Dylan celebrated his 16th Birthday

It was discovered that Liam has a growth on his lymph node - it will be surgically removed and biopsied this month

We added pet snails to our family

We decided to get another puppy - she will be joining us in February

We celebrated holidays together

We spent time with just a few friends and family members

Grant started working from home

Quarantine, masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, remote learning, and Zoom calls pretty much sum up the year

There are some things in 2020 that didn't turn out the way we had hoped or expected. None of our kids had birthday parties, and 3 of 5 of them had milestone birthdays - 1st, 13th, and 16th. We can't celebrate those days again. Our family holidays weren't the same. The 2019/2020 school year ended abruptly, and Grant has been working at home for 9 months. There were so many big changes in 2020. This year changed us all, but we were healthy, and we were together.

Although we do hope life goes back to normal at some point this year, we plan on continuing to focus on togetherness. That's why I chose it for my word of the year for 2021. I have been choosing a word of the year for several years now, instead of making resolutions. It allows me to focus on one main goal, and it keeps me from feeling defeated when I inevitably break those resolutions!

So this year I’m making time spent with my family and friends a priority. Although togetherness might be a bit different during a pandemic, it's still going to be my focus. More family movie nights. More family game nights. More family hikes. More monthly dates with my husband. More baking days with my sisters and nieces. More craft nights. More coffee dates and dinners with friends. More family dinners. More weekends with friends. More connecting through text and snail mail. And once it’s safe to socialize in big groups again, more picnics and parties. Over the last week of 2020, I was reminded that time is not a guarantee, and I want to take advantage of that gift of time that I do have. My goal is to connect with family and friends every single day in some way, because they are my everything.

TOGETHERNESS.

We are heading into the new year with hope and a positive outlook. Yes, change will be slow. Yes, we have healing to do. Yes, we are praying Liam’s growth is benign. But we are heading into 2021 together, with an army of incredible family members and friends at our side, both near and far! Here's to a happy, HEALTHY 2021!