2020 has been quite a year so far to say the least. I know one day we will all look back on this year with a different story and perspective about everything that’s happened over the past few months. I thought I would take a few minutes to briefly write about some of my own and my family’s experiences and just a few of the amazing things that have happened in our lives through this pandemic.
All of this started in early March when my mother and my two kids were set to take a trip to Texas to celebrate my nephew’s 21st birthday. I was itching to see them since the last time we visited was a year ago. By the time our trip rolled around, we were pumped and ready to go despite my major anxieties with turbulence and being above ground 25,000 feet.
A few days before our trip, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and as you all know, hysteria began to spread across the world and our country thanks to the flurry of false and inaccurate media coverage about what was happening.
At first I believed a lot of what I was reading because, after all, this was a global pandemic. My mother came with me on the trip to Texas with my two children – 6 and almost 2 years old. We didn’t know what to do to protect ourselves or the kids from this mysterious disease that was killing hundreds of thousands overnight, but we did have a box of Clorox wipes with us, should we be in any fear of contracting something.
We went through the airport, security, and the plane literally wiping down every surface we touched, as if that would protect us from the beast and make us feel less fearful.
Thankfully, my mom, kids and I returned from the trip unscathed. The day we got back, we received notice about schools being closed.
I lost a lot of my big clients who had to shift funding and found myself homeschooling Will. My husband works for FEMA and was working 24-7 from home, on calls with HHS and CDC all day long, so being home wasn’t exactly easy.
But when I thought about the reason for the lockdown and all of the moms out there with multiple kids and full-time jobs, I realized how lucky my family was. For me, there were major silver linings to all of this. I had a chance to spend precious time with my son - something I never had before. I enjoyed watching him grow and learn through the end of first grade. I helped him create a book online, just because it’s something he wanted to do.
We found new crafts to do together.
We spent countless hours outside, just running … and attempting to teach my kids news sports and outdoor activities.
We spent time with our family….anyway.
Meme was insistent on helping Will with his “garden.”
I finally got to decorate Amelia’s room, and while it will always be a work in progress, I actually got somewhere with it these past few months. I also found myself cleaning out the mass amounts of “extra things” from our home and donated at least four bags full of clothes to Blue Ridge Hospice.
One day Will looked outside of his window (which he never does!) and found a nest there. The next day, we found a bunch of robins eggs. Then, mama bird. Will named her “Mrs. Robin.”
I was also lucky enough to spend some time volunteering with Tree of Life, handing out food to those in need in our county. I started seeing the goodness in people in the middle of the madness. People helping people.
When I found time for myself, I was inspired to create things in a new light. I started coming across new styles of art that I was immediately attracted to. The art had a boldness to them, bursts of vibrant colors, gold, and different textures. I bought some new art supplies – oil paints, gold ink, metallic watercolors and gold leaf foil paper to name a few, and began experimenting.
I began to find such magic with the new art supplies and a new perspective on life – a reminder of how temporary things are on this earth. My entire life, I’ve always treated art and supplies as something precious – not to be wasted. In doing so I think I limited myself creatively. Now was the time to go all in and create with a boldness I never have before. And that’s what you’ll find here in my gilded collection.
Through the pandemic, my family received the biggest blessing of all - a nephew.
To all my readers, followers, buyers, and friends, I hope you all have found the silver or golden linings through the uncertainty this year has presented us with. Most importantly, I hope and pray that you and your family continue to stay well!