I’m pretty confident that I can say that 2020 was not the
year that any of us expected that it would be. As each new year dawns everyone
has high expectations that the new year will be amazing. The new year will
bring new opportunities. The new year will be better than the last. January and
February were okay but then March hit and it seems it was just downhill from
there for everyone. It was the 2020 version of Dante’s Inferno or for those not
familiar with that, the new levels of Jumanji. Each month brought a new level
that we could have never imagined.
As the wife of a track coach, we were just hitting our
groove in track season and the BLAM! COVID hit and our season was over. We were
on pace to hopefully win our district four years in a row which would have been
an AMAZING accomplishment. We thought we had several kids that were on pace to
make it to state. My husband and awesome coach was supposed to be honored at
the state track meet as the state track coach of the year. All gone thanks to
COVID. I watched my coach try to teach
virtually and even try to coach football on a laptop in our backyard while
trying to engage with his players and teach fundamentals and execute techniques
via Zoom. I’m sure the inventors of Zoom never imagined it would be used for
football practice.
As employee for a large nonprofit we were excited about what
the year had an in store for us and were looking forward to phenomenal opportunities
and then BLAM! COVID hit. Our world was turned upside down and we were in for a
major reorganization along with two rounds of layoffs and changes in pay and
benefits. Coworkers that I had been a part of my work and personal life for
many years were affected by the changes and that was just the Spring.
Summer came with major issues of entirely new level that in
and of itself were enough for any one year all its own. Yet we couldn’t
concentrate on just those issues, we still had to deal with COVID and how was
affecting our everyday life.
Then Fall came with an entire new set of challenges. School
was virtual and school was in person. We all questioned if football season was
going to happen and if it did, what would it look like. I just kept praying
that we could have some form of normalcy during 2020 and that we could have a
football season. In Texas the smaller schools were allowed to kick off their season
in August. For the larger schools our schedule was delayed but at least it was
going to happen. Each night I would again pray that we could have a season and
that our coaches and our boys could navigate this crazy time and get to play a
regular season. Each week we held our breath to see if the other team could
play or would we have to miss a week. Our coaches became experts in contact
tracing, including who sat where at lunch and in class, who went up against who
in practice and even who rode to school together. Trying to keep everyone safe
and healthy.
I was used to coaches
calling coaches on the way home from school to discuss practice and the day to
day activities. I was used to coaches calling coaches during dinner to discuss
practice schedules, grades, etc. but now there was a new factor. Who sat next
to who during lunch? How far away was player X from student Y in the classroom?
There was a whole new level of anxiety in air.
I just kept counting down the games and the weeks. I just
kept counting down the work meetings and the changes in the organization. I
just kept thinking if we can only make it to Christmas break then we are home
free and can run away for a week and escape all of this for a week and just
have a break from reality. This year our break from reality wasn’t meant to be.
2020 reared its ugly head again and the decision was made to stay home and not
escape reality, at least for right now. For right now, we are home. Celebrating
the fact that we actually got to have a season. Celebrating the fact that we made
it playoffs and that our boys that we didn’t think would even get a season got
an extra week to play. Celebrating the fact that we both still have jobs.
Celebrating that our family and friends are near and that we are blessed to have
another Christmas with them on this earth. We may not be able to gather in
person, but the fact that we are all still on this earth together is a
blessing.
2021 will bring new opportunities and most likely a new set
of anxieties and new questions about athletic seasons continuing or happening
at all and all of the stresses of work but, there is one thing for certain. We
serve and awesome and mighty Lord who has great things in store for us
all. I Peter 5:7 reminds us to “cast all
your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.”
So here I stand at the end of 2020 constantly casting my anxieties to Him
knowing that He cares for me and He cares for you. Whatever is there with us in 2021 or
before us, our Lord will see us through.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Cheering you all on!
Laurel
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