My list of grievances is extensive from last year, just like yours, I'm sure. The sudden death of my mother, my best friend, the person I called for anything. Launching a book during a pandemic, canceled speaking gigs, and a book tour. Doing all we could to keep our small family business open during COVID, pivoting, to pivot again the next hour and nearly losing my dad, twice, right after my mom. My list of new traditions and blessings is just as long and oh so sweet.
In March, the freezers were full of pies for the cafe and pie haven; we were ready for Antique Week. Then, the governor made the call, canceled. Antique weeks, our livelihood for all our family businesses. Our team gathered around our commissary kitchen and talked about what we could do. Where was the need? We could still get food and without going to a grocery store empty-handed. Rick and I had always wanted to do casseroles, so we began creating meals for families. Feed His People, a Facebook group we created, started, and grew to sustain our businesses and staff. And, Feed His People became a community that loved and rallied alongside us. Heck, we were able to hire two full-time and two part-time team members!! Father's Day rolled around, and selfishly, I wanted to get away, so I booked a room nearby to celebrate Rick (and selfishly enjoy some time away from work). The restaurant wasn't open, no room service, and then the rain began to pour while swimming. Shortly after that, we got an email from each of our Pie Haven staff with their resignation letters (that's another story). I threw my hands up; fell on the bed and screamed, “what else God?!?” The next week, He sent six, yes SIX, applications!! And, now we have a new team, they are rockstars.
I had many favorite memories this year. The most recent was the boys and I playing hooky and decorating the house before the unknown crazy holiday shipping season. The holiday mail-order season was one of our best, only God. I don't think we would have had the time if we waited until after Thanksgiving, and playing hooky the first Tuesday of November is a new tradition. The boys also wrapped all the gifts this year, and I did the details. Rick reminded me of how when I met him and his family, I would cover the presents with such craft, but that craft fell to the wayside over the years. He asked if I could wrap the gifts with bows and details this year; he felt it was a reminder of my mom. He was right. And I can't forget the sweet notes, texts, and stories of people that had bought and shared my book. My book, Eat, Pie, Love, was doing precisely what I had hoped, and God intended, meet people exactly where they are on their journey and remind them; they are on purpose. Oh, the sweet sisters that lost their mom's only a month before mine, who came alongside me, linked arms, and we continue to walk this path together. There were so many gifts in 2020; it helps to write them down, ponder and relish in them; they help soothe the pain.
I have big God-given dreams for 2021, but I want to go slow. I'm a morning girl, waking up each day like a bull in a china shop, ready to go, then about 5:30, I turn into a pumpkin, and by 9 pm, cinderella is snoring. It will be a challenge for me to slow down, but I’m up for it. During Covid, there was not much time to rest for us; we pulled out the strength we didn't remember we had. I wondered, had I gotten lazy in the last few years? Was I going thru the motions, dreaming but staying comfortable? Was I even growing? Our businesses were running fine pre-covid, so I'd say, "let's go to a movie, or how about a nap?!" Or, was I genuinely resting because God knew what was coming? Had I been taking the time to let the ground rest and let the seeds planted push through what I think were the most challenging ten months? Rick and I had been here before; this wasn't a new feeling; we had walked this hard path a few times. We had been on our knees in complete exhaustion. But, through all of it, He has made us strong and carried us to today. Seeds that He planted so many years ago, were cultivated in 2020.
So as we enter into a new year, what about not hitting the ground running but letting the ground rest? This month let's pray for the seeds planted in 2020, for God to show you what to let be and what to sow. Because spring is coming, and the harvest will be plenty. Make plans loosely, as they change like the wind. Now I'm not saying you don't start. Let's put one foot in front of the other and do the next right thing. And, as the winds shift, be open to the pivoting, be willing to change, and surrender it all to Him. If we learned anything in 2020, we are entirely out of control of what comes, making adjustments to the weather as needed. We cannot do anything in this life without Him. He is our light and anchor. Spring is coming, and the harvest will be plenty.