2020 Year in Review
Each December, we try to share what we've accomplished over the past twelve months, but we thought it would be more appropriate to spend a few moments in gratitude this time around. Below is some of what we’re grateful for in this whirlwind of a year.
20 things that helped us through 2020:
We are grateful for our little “pandemic pod” with El’s two toddler besties. These two families have made our time in quarantine so much better than we ever could have imagined.
We are grateful for the ways to connect digitally with friends and family: Zoom, FaceTime, and Tinybeans, in particular. Without these resources, we don’t know how we’d keep in close contact with them during this time.
We are grateful for all of those who spent time teaching us, sharing with us, and bringing us further into ABAR work. In particular, we are grateful for Britt Hawthorne, Raising Luminaries, and The Conscious Kid.
We are grateful for no commuting and the extra time that means for Tyler to be able to spend with El at home each day.
We are grateful for a new roof over our home and new railings for our stairs, giving us peace of mind that the place we hunker down is a safe space for El to roam and for us all to live.
We are grateful for our continued health for our family; it’s not a small thing and we feel very fortunate to have escaped the virus so far.
We are grateful for Child of the Redwoods for helping us prepare Eleanor’s home learning environment, from general practical life skills through Montessori Primary curriculum, which we’ll start on very soon since she’s almost 2!
We are grateful for sleep (when we can get it).
We are grateful for fellow La Leche League of Alameda co-Leader Virginia Thompson who supported Lauren in becoming a Leader and continues to do so now as they work together to virtually support our local breastfeeding community.
We are grateful for treasures handmade by Meemaw, Nana, and Maria, such as El’s tiny doll, little Santa hat, cloth books, and coordinated family Halloween costume.
We are grateful to have discovered marriage meetings, which have kept us communicating and organized during this very weird and difficult year.
We are grateful for family traditions; for eating pie on Pi Day, yoga on Solstice, and baking cookies for Christmas.
We are grateful for new foods to enjoy, the land that cultivated the ingredients, and the land we live on.
We are grateful for Eleanor’s continued breastfeeding journey, especially now as it gives her better immunities at a time when she really needs it, in addition to the comfort it brings as she starts to feel and express emotions at a deeper level than before.
We are grateful for lighthearted reading more now than ever, like Magical Boy, Lunarbaboon, Lucy Knisley, and Jonajooey.
We are grateful for snuggles with Sunny (and he’s likely grateful we finally adjusted his food portions, helping him get fit again).
We are grateful for time to read with Eleanor, allowing us to venture from the world inside into the world outside without ever leaving the couch.
We are grateful for common-sense local public health policies to keep people safe.
We are grateful for the impending arrival of vaccines, and the incredible work done by people like Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett to create them!
But most of all, we are grateful that 2020 is coming to an end and leading us into a new year.
Wishing you and your families a happy and safe 2021!
👂: How a Berkeley Police Chief Gave Rise to the Modern Force by KQED Bay Curious
📺: Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices on Netflix
👶: Own Voices book A is for Acorn by Analisa Tripp (of Karuk descent) and illustrated by Lyn Risling (of Karuk, Yurok, and Hupa descent)
