Gratitude in 2020

Everything is a blessing or a lesson. Everything. 

Yes, even in 2020 - an unprecedented time - the year of a worldwide pandemic, the year of COVID-19, the year of masks and shutdowns and quarantines.
Yes, even in 2020 - the year of the Earth's healing, the year of transformation and rebirth and self-reflection. 

As humans, it is easy (often without even thinking) to complain and immediately see the worst in a situation. It is also then easy to be that hamster on a wheel or even start that downward spiral that typically comes next if we aren’t aware. COVID-19 is real and while, thankfully, my immediate family has not been personally affected, I have many friends and family of friends who have been and my heart truly aches for them.

I have heard so many mention how they are anxious for 2021 to begin so this will be over. The mere flipping of a calendar will not make this disappear. Oh, and neither will THE election. But this isn’t a blog about politics or differing beliefs and I am not climbing up on the soapbox. Those pedestals are quite full right now. That’s not who I am, anyway. 

Who I am is a woman of pure love and light and gratitude. Gratitude. Yes, that is where this blog is going, friends. But thanksgiving and November are over, you say? Well, yes, they are but gratitude is a permanent state for me. Why? Because we attract what we focus on and what we believe. I choose to remain in a state of gratitude in order to attract more things into my life for which to be grateful! Who wouldn’t want that, right?

So, let’s go back to January 1, 2020 and reflect on our blessings AND our lessons and be grateful for each one because they happened FOR us; not TO us! I’ll start. I am grateful for:

1. the start of my work as a Hospice volunteer in January. I am grateful to have spent about two months (before she broke free of her earthly chains) with a lovely elderly lady whose family trusted me with her care. I am grateful for the beautiful friendship I found with her granddaughter as a result of my first patient pairing. There is nothing better than the feeling I get as a Hospice volunteer!
2. seeing “Grease” at the Riverside Dinner Theater with my mom in February.
3. sharing dinner with my cousins, Rosemary and Jack, in late February not, at the time, knowing how much I would truly appreciate that fellowship.
4. my first mentor turned family friend transitioning in late February and being able to spend much-needed time with her family for two days and hold a “normal” service. While the gathering was surrounded by sadness, it was also full of love, allowed me to catch up with Nicole and others and spend valuable time with Jan’s family.
5. Hubs and I making the trip to Raleigh the first week in March to see the Zac Brown Band. Little did we know it would be the first and only live show we would see in 2020. What an incredible time!
6. our first (and what turned out to be only) wine dinner of the off-season at the Salt Box Cafe.
7. my mom being able to spend almost two weeks of time with us in the OBX as, just a mere few days after taking her home, the pandemic was in full force.
8. a dear friend reaching out to me for help on a whim when a mutual friend’s husband was hospitalized. Subsequently, I am grateful for his trust in me (as we had never met in person) to connect with his energy to provide reiki healing and prudent messages to his wife. I am also eternally grateful for his willingness to continue to connect with me in spirit to reassure his wife of his love and appreciation.
9. Hubs being able to make a quick trip to Ohio to visit his mom, not knowing it would be the only trip home this year.
10. seeing the writing on the wall (even though I adored those babies) and quitting my part-time job at a dog daycare.       Now.... all of that occurred PRIOR to the pandemic. Let’s continue on through the rest of the year.  I am grateful for:
11. Hubs having a secure, federal government job in which he has always worked from home.
12. having such dear friends who I consider family that live close to Mom to assist in grocery shopping and transportation to medical appointments during this time. Mom is high-risk, having incurable lung disease, and my heart was able to rest due to the love of Sue, Sunday, Melissa and Phil.
13. being nudged to expand my awareness and energy work to a broader public collective in the form of “Spiritual Warrior Soul Daughter”. As a result, I have come in contact with beautiful souls and have been able to provide “love in service” to more than I ever imagined.
14. listening to my intuition and reaching out to a friend in which I had cut a connection to many years prior. While I was quickly reminded why that relationship had to end, and severed it for good this time, it also served a bigger purpose. As a result, I was introduced to a new soul sister in Colorado with whom I periodically send distance reiki to help in her cancer battle. While old wounds surfaced, it was for a higher purpose. TANC
15. being offered and accepting a part-time job with the local winery in June. Wine has always been a true love of mine and this experience paired perfectly with raising the vibration for myself and that of strangers. Being able to give people a sense of normalcy this year was invaluable!
16. my already resilient marriage growing even stronger as Hubs and I appreciate our lives and fall in love more every day.
17. being able to frequently support our friends (who are like family) who own and staff restaurants through takeout and curbside deliciousness. Shout out to Salt Box Cafe, Two Roads, South Beach and Mom's Sweet Shop!
18. breaking personal records in supporting John’s Drive In and Fishheads this season! The wait is usually so long at both we are lucky to get in one time a year. This year we went to EACH three times!
19. trips to my home away from home, Colonial Beach, to safely meet my mom. While it was not as often as a usual year, I am beyond grateful we had the special and few opportunities we did; especially to celebrate my dad’s birthday.
20. making a quick stop at the new Backporch Winery in King George while in town and making a new friend in the NN Wine Diva! What a wonderful visit we had-the view, the wine, the staff- to serve as a quick escape from reality.
21. enjoying three bushels of blue crabs this summer- two at CB and one from my new local friend, Steve, in Grandy.
22. the opportunity to provide weekend dog-walking services through Hospice to a lovely lady who is homebound and lost her husband in March. While she profusely thanks me every time, it is I who am the thankful one to have the privilege of caring for her precious girl and now for her as well.
23. having participated in my happy place, Winestyles of Montclair, virtual Zoom tastings. Being able to see my friends and be part of that Friday night from afar made my heart smile so big! I am also grateful for special packaged to-go orders just for me!
24. living at the beach so that I could easily clear my mind and be present in a state of gratitude when it was often very challenging.
25. the thriving mental and physical health of my family.
26. Nami growing in confidence and being a well-behaved good girl staying home alone for hours at a time while not destroying the house or eating Alvin.
27. Alvin overcoming a very scary and overwhelming health issue.
28. our beloved and devoted team of vets, staff and dog gurus who have helped us in so many ways with Alvin and Nami- Kate, Jennifer, Dr. Belton and Samson, Dr. Johnson and Brewer at Blue Pearl, vet tech Amanda and my forever angel-on-earth vet, Dr. Bakanas.
29. being offered, and then falling in love with, Sycamore Brewing Pumpkin Latte beer!
30. hurricanes and tropical storms staying away from the OBX this season (God bless those who were in those paths)!
31. finding the perfect blend of CBD oil and Benadryl to ease my Nammer’s mind for a calm car ride.
32. not waiting until May 2020 to get married, as that was a strong option back in June 2019!
33. Emily, and her local apothecary, for keeping me healthy with her magical Elderberry syrup, tinctures and teas.
34. Shree, my friend and Reiki Master, for always being the epitome of all that is love and light in a world that can often seem harsh and dark.
35. owning over 100 bottles of wine at any given time in our home. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
36. Harris Teeter in my town because Walmart on a normal day not during a pandemic is disgusting and suspect.
37. saying goodbye to my local government government career (especially EMS) a year ago in November.
38. my grandparents, as much as I miss them, not being in the physical, during this healing of the Earth.
39. afternoon visits with my soul sister keeping the barkeep staff entertained while enjoying margaritas, beer, nachos and remembering to LIVE in the present.
40. Nami faithfully serenading us to the sounds of a Drake White song. It never gets old.
41. the handsome, intelligent, funny, loving, rational man that I married is not only healthy but still by my side. Every second of every day I am grateful to be his wife and share this life with him.
42. NC Coast and Aqua for making the trek to Duck worth it-not only with fantastic meals and cocktails but in a safe and beautiful outdoor atmosphere overlooking the water.
43. Chef Amanda for satisfying our Salt Box cravings with special orders to stock our freezer and delectable cakes for both of our birthdays!
44. celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary on the outdoor porch of Salt Box Cafe-our first dining at a restaurant in eight months.
45. time in my backyard flower garden and having hydrangea bushes for the first time. Hydrangeas take me back to my childhood at my grandparents’ house.
46. my Redskins growing in confidence and talent each game thanks to Coach Rivera and for not only handing the Steelers their first loss on national tv but sweeping and stomping the Cowboys! HTTR4life!
47. discovering beautiful souls with phenomenal energy crossing my path, including but not limited to, Lauren, Jordan, Brandee and Heather.
48. having a tormented and loving soul in South Africa find me on social media and not only request my assistance in her healing but  become one with whom I have formed a long distance, beautifully energetic connection with like no other.
49. the friendship in my beautiful hair guru who continued to provide her services at home during the earlier shutdown and for Hubs becoming my very patient and excellent hair artist.
50. all of the souls, on this plane and beyond, for trusting me enough to communicate with me the messages that their loved ones so desperately need to hear. I am also grateful for those loved ones here in the physical listening and believing in my abilities.
    

While there are MANY more things to be grateful for in 2020, these are the first 50 that came to mind. 50 equating to 5 which is the number representing change so how fitting and, no, I did not plan to make a list of 50! While I know many of you did not read this blog based on its length, it really doesn’t matter. This was an exercise for me that brought me back to the present moment and returned my focus to that of love and gratitude. While change is always prevalent, this year has had monumental moments of change and, through it all, I promise you BEing love and finding gratitude at all times is what will always keep us going!

Much love and light to you and yours as we approach Christmas and the end of 2020. Instead of focusing on what went "wrong" in 2020, how about taking time to reflect on what went "right" and bringing that love and positivity into 2021. There are no coincidences, my friends!