turn turn turn
I think one common thread 2020 did to us was stunt our ability to dream.
I’m so glad 2020 is in the rearview mirror, but it doesn’t feel like much has changed, at least not yet.
Our election process is still incomplete (Georgia), which is causing great angst. Since it’s winter, the weather can be grayer, the days shorter, and the sunlight is limited. The world is in turmoil as people experience fear of loss, losing employment, and children are gingerly treading through their altered version of education. The calendar says it’s 2021, but it still feels like 2020.
(Sorry, folks. Not the message of hope, well, not yet.)
Fortunately for me, the very trying issues of society have not plagued all aspects of my world. The loss of my father-in-law is deeply felt. But, probably like me, your dreams have been stunted.
Brides (and grooms) had to postpone their long-planned wedding. Newly engaged couples are limited in their venue search and selection as they decide on a safe-date. Uncertainty pervades and has put life on pause. We’re not at a complete stop, and maybe not even a full pause, but we’re held back enough to delay the dreaming and planning process because of the uncertainty that looms in our midst. We’re forced to wait, and most of us want instant gratification, or at a minimum, we’re a tad impatient.
The process of return takes time. The good news, for some reason, the return-trip usually seems shorter. I’m not quite sure why that is, but it’s often the case that going home seems shorter even if it’s not. (Here’s where the hope starts to set in.)
I think there is little debate that our dreams and plans for the future have been stunted, but they are on the verge of sprouting.
Glimmers of hope loom in the distance. One can begin the process that maybe we can go…this summer. The daylight is getting longer with each passing day. The vaccine appears to be our ticket out. That’s an easy decision for some and harder for the skeptics out there. I tend to fall in the latter category, but this seems different. The motivation to restore health, save lives, and return to life as we knew it, seems honest.
Let's hope!
Let's try, each one of us to do what is right.
If we do what we can, when we can, with hope in our hearts for a better year and even a different year, things will begin to turn.
Turn from fear to hope.
Turn from anger to forgiveness.
Turn from judgment to tolerance.
Turn from hate to love.
Love one another.
We learned so much from 2020. It is time to move on. It's time to make the turn.
For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3
Here’s a song for you, click the blue link. Turn Turn Turn and an extra song for your enjoyment.
(I’m not sure if Bob Dylan enhanced Mr. Tambourine Man, but when he sings together with Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, it helps!)
I must give credit to my cousin in Norway, AB Birkeland, for the photo above. She is a gifted artist and photographer. I have admired her photographs since I was a young girl.
