Ten Best Moments of 2020 - Grit & Grace

I ended last year with a prayer of hope. I really wanted to have this first blog post of the year published weeks ago. We don’t always get what we want, so here I am less than a week away from February. It’s never too late to talk about the good things. Since 2020 was all that it was, it might be especially tempting to only dwell on all that went wrong. The good stuff is important to remember too, so here’s my best attempt at doing that: my ten best moments of 2020.

These aren’t listed in any particular order of importance. But each of them played a significant part in keeping hope, joy, and connection alive for me in 2020.

My Ten Best Moments of 2020

1. First Things First

Nothing quite like ringing in the new year out of town. It was fun to start 2020 with a little adventure. Skiing, snow tubing, hiking, waterfalls, and mini golf (yes, mini golf!) were among the highlights of our trip to North Carolina. I also used this trip to kickstart my goal to read more in the new year, so reading by the fireplace was a definite highlight too.

2. Running for Richard

We completed our fifth annual fundraising run through the Miami Marathon in February. (You can read all about why we did what we did here.) Thankful to have raised funds for our friend, who wanted money to be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his honor. Thankful we were able to let him know how much money we had raised in his name, and how much he meant to us before he transitioned to eternity a couple of months after our race.

3. Backyard Visits and Garage Get-Togethers

This started as a new normal, which has now turned into just plain normal. Backyard visits at my mom’s house and socially distanced birthday get-togethers in our garage became the norm. I never imagined how valuable these spaces would become. Celebrations that looked differently than we originally planned or would prefer, but were still worth celebrating in whatever way we could.

4. All Things Zoom

Learning to get comfortable with Zoom and other video-y things was a big part of 2020. It provided some cool and unexpected opportunities, like teaching Zoom fitness classes with friends, which eventually led to classes I’m teaching currently through the Miami-Dade Public Library system.

5. Food for the Soul

Feeding others is more than just having folks over for a meal. Dropping off pizzas, donating funds for the unexpectedly unemployed, and working with Feeding South Florida were a few of the ways we were able to do that in 2020. Partnering with Feeding South Florida gave us a chance to volunteer as a family sorting food at their warehouse, getting it ready to transport to those in need.  (It was a birthday wish for one of my kiddos, which made it extra special.) A month later we had another opportunity passing out box after box at the food line at a local park. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the privilege to sweat for those in need.

6. Fresh Self-Awareness

In an instant, I was given eyes to see a lifetime of believing and being satisfied with all the varied justifications for black lives being taken. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I wept some bitter tears because of this. A lot of them. Confronting the racism in my heart has not been pleasant. One small step led to many, many more. 2020 was filled with book studies, podcasts, and chatting over coffee with those on similar journeys. I even had the opportunity to take part in an anti-racism panel. Still such a long road ahead of me, but I’ve got a lifetime of small steps ready to run this race.

7. Starting a New Thing

I sent out my first email newsletter! My monthly-ish encouragement to anyone who will listen (and subscribe, which you can do if you click here or on the photo above)  that God uses the grit AND grace to grow us beautifully.

8. Milestone Birthday

Someone got to close the door on being 14 years old in 2020. We had a new quinceañera in the house. This was one of those celebrations that looked differently than we originally planned or would prefer, but was still worth celebrating in whatever way we could.

9. Speaking of Milestones

Yes, another one of those events we were determined to celebrate in any way we could. 2020 was determined to keep throwing things like this at us. Our 25th wedding anniversary, and some words I wrote to commemorate that day.

10. Because 2020

Not sure if you’ve seen a pattern in some of my best moments of 2020. Nothing like coming down with cold symptoms the week before Christmas to put things into proper perspective. Exposure to someone who later tested positive, followed by symptoms a few days later, followed by quarantined Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Thankful for relatively mild to moderate short-lived symptoms, and a fresh opportunity to hunker down and connect as a family.

Now it’s your turn. What are YOUR best things from 2020? I want to hear from you!

Becky is a Miami native, and has lived here all of her life. Married to her husband for over 20 years, they lead a very active lifestyle along with their three teenagers and Riley, their rescue dog. Becky loves to teach, and has had the awesome privilege of home educating her children for over twelve years. When not teaching academics, Becky loves to equip, encourage, and empower women through the teaching of her group fitness classes. Becky and her husband lead various ministries, and their family loves to serve the community through the countless opportunities provided over the past twenty years+ in their local church. She enjoys filling her “free” time with reading, writing, watching movies, and just spending time with the family. Becky has a passion for living her life with grit and grace, and encouraging others to do the same.