Hedlund Happenings: Merry Christmas 2020

HEDLUND HAPPENINGS 2020

20 Blessings in 2020

2020 has been quite the year, hasn’t it? With all the hardships during the past twelve months, it’s all too easy to focus on the difficulties and everything that went wrong.

While I think it’s healthy to acknowledge our heartaches, God’s taken me on a journey the past couple of years in learning how to live with an attitude of continuously giving thanks. When thanksgiving for both the tiny and tremendous permeates all we do, somehow in the process of giving thanks, we’re able to find joy and peace that eases our hearts and makes the difficulties more bearable.

With that in mind, I’ve had to stretch harder in 2020 to live with an attitude of thanksgiving. But as has been my tradition for the past few years, I just finished writing out my list of 1000 things I’m thankful for.

Sharing all of those things would be tedious (and way too long!) for this Christmas letter. But I figured you wouldn’t mind hearing 20:

1. Getting in trips before lock-downs: My two high school kiddos got to go to Disney World, and my twins took a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico.

2. Remaining safe during the Midland flood: 2 local dams broke north of town causing evacuations and massive flooding in our area of town. (Top photo credit: Ben Tierney)

3. Salvaging our basement and belongings after the flood: We lost our washing machine, dryer, freezer, and many other items, but we managed to save a lot. We're so thankful for all the many people who helped us during that difficult time.

4. Spending an extra few months with my college daughters: With Cedarville University closing in early March, it was a blessing to have them finish up their junior year at home.

5. Hanging out together more as a family: I loved having more family meals, movie and game nights, and sitting in the hot tub.

6. Having a handy husband who can fix things: With covid bringing businesses to a screeching halt, I was super happy my husband could get our oven working (along with tackling other fix-it projects!). I'm very grateful he could continue his counseling job via telehealth.

7. Visiting Pictured Rocks: We weren’t able to do a big family vacation as we’d hoped, but we managed a long weekend trip to the UP to view beautiful waterfalls and rock formations.

8. Taking other day trips: We also enjoyed a trip to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids as well as a fun hiking/fishing/picnicking trip to Port Crescent State Park.

9. Having online church: While we missed gathering with our church family in person, we were grateful for the many online services we could watch together as a family.

10. Having online school and extracurricular activities: In spite of the many cancellations, we were thankful for online school as well as other activities that made an effort to keep going (including dance classes via zoom).

11. Gaining a new grandpup: Our oldest son (who lives in Cincinnati) got a Golden Retriever puppy, which kept him company during the long days of working from home. We love when they come for a visit!

12. Starting my youngest son’s senior year in high school: We love this guy! And we’re so grateful for God’s gift of his precious life.

13. Being able to do many outdoor activities: Even though most activities were cancelled, we found plenty to do outside!

14. Eating lots of yummy food in spite of shortages: Though store shelves were sometimes bare, I'm grateful we were able to adjust and still had so much. I admit that my kids are much more adventurous in trying new recipes than I am!

15. Enjoying the good health of my mom: I’m so glad that my mom remains fit and is able to join us for many of our adventures and activities!

16. Serving together as a family: With so many people suffering this year, I’m thankful for our local Open Door's homeless shelter that provides hot meals every day to people in need.

17. Learning to be patient with one another: We were together a LOT! And the proximity provided plenty of opportunities for growth, including in patience!

18. Getting creative: Without the ability to shop at local stores during the lockdown, we got creative! My daughters made window boxes and Mother’s Day gifts.

19. Releasing 6 books: I’m so thankful for being able to do what I love every day! And I’m very grateful for faithful readers! (Who took all of these pictures!)