Yes, I think we all have a list of reasons to hate this year, but I’m trying to be positive, look for the rainbow and the silver lining and count my blessings.
- Lots of time at home. For some that is not a good thing, but for others, it was a nice change from rushing around everywhere and not having much time at the house that you work hard to pay for. I have completed several projects!
- Deep introspection. This year has presented many opportunities to question our motives, beliefs, and prejudices and those of the people in power. We all need to do this.
- New skills. Who hasn’t learned how to use Zoom or other virtual meeting spaces? More cooking. More Reading. More studying about alternative medicine, politics, history, religion, crafts, etc.
- Finding new ways to cope with stress. Too much eating, boozing, drugging, and social media scrolling is not healthy. A lot of us took on personal challenges when we couldn’t do group activities.
- Empathy. Despite the negative media portrayals of people hating each other, I believe that many of us are really trying to discuss and understand the point of view of our friends and strangers on many important issues.
- Strengthening our faith through more prayer, more Bible reading, more listening to God instead of just talking to Him. Trusting Him through this will make us stronger!
- More kids being homeschooled. Parents are learning about the benefits of homeschooling and jumping in with both feet!
- The rise in popularity of Black Conservative influencers. They have been out there since the #blexit and #walkaway movements began, but people are really paying attention now.
Blue Skies and Green Pastures 
I can relate to most of these. #6 is the best! 😊❤️
I agree! 💕🙏
If we’re now rating them (they were all good!), I especially liked numbers 6, 7, and 8. The rise of black conservative voices has been a welcome addition to the body politic. Once their voices penetrate the black community, it could lead to some fundamental and productive changes to our society. However, numbers 6 and 7 were tremendous, also. I have found more people asking questions of faith, and I am very much interested in seeing new concepts applied to education. Homeschooling is a good example, but there is another one — pod learning (my term) — in which gifted teachers attract a clientele of students, which can be reached via computer. It’s like homeschooling, except there’s a new role carved out for trained teachers. Anyway, there is a lot of good in 2020, and I applaud you for reminding us of it.
Thank you and I agree that it’s exciting to think of a revolution in education! Our schools have been suffering too long from bureaucratic overload and unions keeping bad teachers . I’m not against social change . I just want it to be led by the people who will be affected by it .
My husband has been starry-eyed for nearly the whole time, saying how great it’s been to be home around family.
Well at least that’s one happy person . Have you been posting ? I need to catch up!
I just returned, to my regular blog. I’ll have to figure this one out.
Great post.
I’m going to borrow the concept. I think all of us have our own top 10 list for 2020.
And we still have almost 4 entire months to go!
Can’t wait to see your list!
Amen to all of this. I have to say, the rise of Black conservative influencers was definitely the thing I did not see coming this year, and I am just watching them all in awe. I binge-listened to Candace Owens’ podcasts while packing the other day. My first time listening to her ever, and I am utterly dumbfounded at how she has been characterized by the haters. Her podcasts are some of the most intelligent, well-researched, and balanced conversations out there right now, especially the one with Zuhdi Jasser recently on the reform Islam movement and what it takes to build an productive counterculture. I totally get why she has several million followers. The message to start putting God back into the center of everything, being pro-family, and pro-learning, pro-excellence in general, this is all absolutely fantastic. That and the fact that she has the courage to put toxic pied pipers in their place. Frankly, I think this is one of the best developments in homeschooling too. We really are becoming a community that physically reflects the rich fabric of God’s people.
And while we already had an aggressively home-centered life in our household, I feel like I can relate to so many more people in our social networks now that they have a glimpse of how we live working from home and homeschooling. Unsurprisingly, many of them love it and are trying to find ways to keep it in place. The cognitive effect of simultaneously having families reconnecting en masse and having critical theory activists pushing for the destruction of the nuclear family and civil society… I think this might be the moment of clarity many in our country needed to see what they are really about in their heart of hearts.
Agreed. I think the closing of the churches, and the other attacks on freedom, really brought the church out of it’s slumber and got people praying and talking to each other and helping their communities, another good thing. I thought I knew a little about the world, but I have learned so much during this time about the external and internal attacks on the American way of life, especially our values and morals and economy.
AMEN! It is good to keep a positive perspective in the midst of trials. It is in the valleys that we grow. Bless you. Choose joy!