Gratitude for 2020

As 2020 comes to a close and we all begin to wrap this year which was filled with unpredictability and stress, we look forward to 2021 with hope and anticipation. I am sure all of us can’t wait for this year to be over. As we end this year and try to reflect on this year, gratitude and thankfulness comes to many of our minds. In this post I show my gratitude for 2020 by showing 10 things that I am grateful for in 2020 despite this year being a roller coaster.

There is always always something to be thankful for! Have you heard this quote by Rhonda Byrne? This summarizes the year for me. Although we all have ups and downs, joys and sorrows, laughter and cries; there is always something to be thankful for.

This time of the year is special for many across the world. It is the holiday season and people across the globe find cheer and joy as they end the year. 2020 has been no ordinary year. We faced the once in a lifetime pandemic: so many lives lost, many more affected indirectly and the world as we knew it changed. Our lifestyle has changed; we have adapted and adjusted. Things that were routine and common had to be re-thought and done differently. What a year of learning!

Read my post about 5 benefits of having a positive attitude, counting your blessings, 5 ways to embrace the power of now and 5 things to do every day for more motivations.

My gratitude list for 2020

So here are 10 things for gratitude in 2020:

1. Good health for all family members

I can’t emphasize how important health is and how blessed we all are in good health. As they say, only when you lose something you understand its worth. In this case, only when you get sick or get an illness you start understanding the importance of it. So grateful for physical and mental well being for all of us.

2. Growth in faith

This year has given me more time to grow my faith and in turn make me more positive and thankful. With less rush and more time in hand, I was able to do meditations, self reflections and have quiet time for myself. As they say, faith moves mountains. It gives direction and purpose to your life. So whatever you believe in, strengthen your faith to help you grow and make you stronger.

3. Having our jobs

To have a steady source of income is important and I am grateful for both my husband and I for keeping our jobs during this pandemic. I know things have been worse for many, and I wish for prosperity and wishes for everyone to continue to keep providing for their families.

4. Kids’ academic and social learning

Gratitude for both my kids, who are teens, who were able to keep up their academic learning and social interactions. I have a 8th grader and a senior, so both in their last year in middle school and high school respectively, and what a year it has been! My older one took her SAT and my younger one took her PSAT, and both did well. In addition to keeping up with their studies, my worry about them not meeting friends and having social learning was put to rest as they kept communication through face time and zoom calls. I’m thankful to technology as it helped minimize social distancing by connecting virtually.

5. Fostering 3 dogs

We were fortunate to be able to keep Tigger till March when she was adopted. We had her for more than six months and then due to COVID had a break of a few months. We brought Haley home in October and she was adopted in just over a month. Montana was the last foster dog for this year but we could keep her only for few days. All of these fosters gave us lot of love and affection, and we are thankful to get this opportunity to make a small difference for our furry loving companions.

6. A year of blogging

Yes, it is going to be a year since I started blogging! I can’t believe it, but gratitude for this new hobby and being able to be consistent with writing and sharing my thoughts. I am not able to chose my favorite post or posts, but throughout this blog I have shared few links of my previous blog posts which you are welcome to check out. As of today I have published 57 posts and have 1250+ comments. I appreciate my readers’ love and support, which motivates me to keep going.

7. Continued love of family and friends

This year we all needed them the most- our loved and dear ones. Although we may all not be physically close, we surely are thanks to technology. I have enjoyed the monthly zoom calls and the virtual birthday celebrations and the far in between meet with a couple close friends outdoors. The last home gathering at our place was in February, but I have gratitude for still having the love and care of people we hold close to our heart.

8. Importance of family time

I am sure we all have experienced the closeness of family this year as outside interactions were reduced significantly. I have gratitude for the closeness we got to share, and for not taking each other for granted. I’m thankful for not fighting and getting irritated when all of us were cooped indoors for weeks and months. I’m grateful for this chance to strengthen our bonds, specifically for my older one who is off to college in 2021.

9. My senior’s college applications

What a year for all seniors! College application is a tedious process and I am proud of my 17 years old who took the time, efforts and patience to research and apply to colleges. We had college visits planned in March and had to cancel our Boston trip. Some days were low and gloomy, but in the end she triumphed with college applications. So far she has received a few acceptance letters with some merit scholarships. Full of gratitude.

10. Little milestones

My husband and I celebrating our 18 years of marriage in June. My younger one turning into a teen. My older one getting her license. There are so many little milestones that brings gratitude.

Reflection

Although I have written about 10 things that I am grateful for, I have so many others that I hold close to my heart and have not shared here. But for the reflection my gratitude include family health, growth in faith, our jobs, kids doing well academically and socially, fostering and blogging experiences, family and friends love and support, my older one’s college acceptance and few other little milestones we reached as a family. These are just 10 of the many things that I show my gratitude for 2020 as we end this pandemic year.

As we think about and reflect, you are welcome to check these below mentioned posts that I have written about how COVID has made a tremendous impact in our lives this past year.

DIY hair cutting during COVID

Personalized learning during COVID

Self care during COVID

Birthdays during the pandemic

Learning curve

A time to unwind

Dear readers, we would love to hear from you. Do share your small accomplishments or simple gratitude’s for 2020. You may comment below or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com