This blew me away!

Last week, as I was sitting in some resistance and resentment about my kids having to quarantine, something amazing happened.

Apple sent me a “2020 Year in Review” video. Did you get one of these too? Normally, I ignore these videos, but this time, I checked it out. And it blew my mind. Somehow, it picked the perfect images to capture the course of my year. And it was BEAUTIFUL. It showed the celebrations my family and I had at the beginning of the year, the things we did to entertain ourselves during quarantine and the events we got to experience after school started. (Hooray for sports!)

I had been telling myself a story about what a bad year this was, but here was proof that my year was filled with wonderful moments. Over and over again. In the midst of all the chaos, we managed to have a beautiful year.

So, I’m changing the narrative on 2020. Yes, there were challenges – there’s no denying that! But it was also full of love, laughter, beauty and fun. I got to see the best of the people around me – resilience, patience, acceptance, perseverance. We thought of new ways to connect with our loved ones, and I got to witness thoughtfulness, creativity and generosity from people all over the world. There was substance to this year. And so much growth.

And now, as I write this, I am filled with gratitude. I’m grateful for all the things we missed out on this year that I took for granted before. I’m grateful for the longing I feel to see my extended family that I’ve missed so much. I’m grateful for the lessons that showed up in my life and the personal growth that took place. I'm grateful for the shifts in the external world towards awareness, progress and change. I’m grateful for the hope that we are coming out of this year stronger, more resilient, more caring, more connected and more aware of how fortunate we really are.

I invite you to take a look back at your year and to search for the good. Scroll through your camera. Look through your calendar. Think about the lessons YOU learned and the growth that took place. What beauty can you find?

Love and light,

Mendy