Hello Again, Friend

It’s worth it when it’s difficult. It’s working when you feel sad. It works when it’s not working. That’s part of the magic. The problem is that we’re looking for a rabbit pulled from a hat or shiny gold coins falling from our ears, and this spell is different. Miracles wear mundane disguises all the time.
— Rebecca Pacheco, Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living

According to my Lightroom catalog, in 2020, I took over 7000 images. Of course, I took many more than that, but that is the number of images that I deemed worthy of keeping. In 2021, I’ve kept 3000. There are a number of reasons for that- stories much too long to share here. But let’s just say….. it has been a hard year. And to be honest, it’s not getting any easier.

Yet, thanks to the Global Pandemic, we were able to be home for much of the year. We were able to be present for tears and treatments and fears and frustrations. We were also able to be there for deep belly laughs and deeper conversations. Between living out of suitcases, jumping from home to home, and working weird hours, we strengthened bonds and dug our roots in deeper. In the midst of all the bad, we were blessed with so much good.

So often we seek out magic. We work to create scenarios that foster relationships and memories. And we should… because it takes work. But often, just being present allows for small shimmers of glitter to form around the edges; coating something in magic that you’d never imagine could be magical.