It’s finally 2021, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are glad 2020 is in the rearview mirror.
Just because the year has changed, though, does not mean the trying circumstances of the past year have relented. Last year brought unprecedented hardships across all walks of life, and those challenges to our health, economy, and way of life will persist for the foreseeable future.
For many years, my husband and I discussed attending a Christmas Eve candlelight service. He and I attended a few growing up or when we were married and didn’t yet have children. Once children came into the picture, the idea of attending a candlelight service sent me into a panic. These services don’t correlate well with the kids’ dinner and bedtime routines. The candlelight services hours force us to drag hungry or cranky kids into a church. Furthermore, to ask a very young child to sit quietly in a pew for an entire service, and prevent them from eating an unlit candle, tearing the paper shield, or touching the flame, is nearly impossible.
It’s the last month of 2020. I’m making an educated guess here, but I’d say more than 75% of the people you know are ready for a new year. We might have to dig deep, but there are lists of positive things that 2020 has delivered to your doorstep. My personal favorite has been the slower pace and increased family time.
Confession:
The holidays are fast approaching, and I’m not feeling the holiday spirit this year. More like I’m feeling the Holiday Blues.
Anyone else with me? Here at Fort Wainwright, we’ve had more than two feet of snowfall in the last two days. Before that, the temperatures dropped to -30, then the next day turned around and it was nearly 30 degrees. It feels like we straight up skipped fall. It lasted less than a month, and that was back in August.
I blinked and suddenly winter was here.
What comes to mind when you think of Veterans Day?
Is it a barbecue with friends and family?
Is it remembering to wear red, white, and blue and taking family photos?
For me, Veterans Day brings a few thoughts, each from a different time in my life.
The first, a Charleston County-wide essay contest for middle school students that begged the question, “Is Freedom Really Free?” The winner read her essay in front of hundreds of middle schoolers who just wanted to board the USS Yorktown to see all the “cool stuff,” as we called it.
Happy autumn, AWN! Whether you spent the summer navigating the uncharted waters of a pandemic PCS or spent it having socially-distanced BBQs, we have finally crossed the threshold into autumn. Now is the time for cooler weather, pumpkin patches, and cozy chats around warm fires.
But as the ever-pragmatic Ned Stark used to say, “winter is coming.”
Under normal circumstances, winter brings to mind the joys of the holiday season and spending lots of time indoors living our best hygge lives. Unfortunately, 2020 has been anything but normal.
A few weeks ago, I was frantically cleaning up from my three bigger kids’ lunch disaster. I sent them outside in our fenced-in yard, and I only had a few minutes to finish sweeping before the baby would cry to nurse and the other kids would be banging on the door to be let back in.
I hadn’t quite finished cleaning when I saw the baby swiftly Army crawling across the floor, headed toward an area he shouldn’t be. When I ran to get him, I saw something strange on his back and looked closer.
Yuck!
The holiday season isn’t always joyful for all. It can be an especially tough time for many veterans and members of the military. And then along came 2020, and things became even worse, adding more uncertainty and anxiety for all.
We know, we know—the holidays are supposed to be such a special time for everyone, but that’s just not the case.
If you are looking for the American pioneering spirit, you can find it all around you as a military spouse.
During a recent luncheon with my community and spouses’ club, I had the pleasure of meeting two new Army spouses. These two ladies were a perfect blend of similar and differing Army experiences. Martha was at her second duty station, like myself, and Amanda had moved many times.
All three of us have children, and the discussion turned to the unique experiences our children have while one or both of their parents serve in the Armed Forces.
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