I cannot say I have a wealth of words of wisdom to share with you today....
... that won't stop me from trying! :)
Except Aunt Isabelle's saying that I've embraced and loved for decades: "And This Too Shall Pass".
Folks have been getting by and getting on with life long before a pandemic interrupted our somewhat predictable lives. And maybe what better way to get/grab/hold our attention than a major change in status that has such far-reaching effects?
I don't take this lightly.
I take most things with a grain of salt. I categorize things in simple ways:
1. Things I can change
2. Things I can't change
3. Wisdom to know the difference.
Sound familiar, my friends?
I have let the Serenity Prayer guide me since I was part of an Alateen group when I was twelve years old. I couldn't change my parents' drinking, but I could plot my own future. And I did. And it included someday being a published author with lots of books.
So here's what I'm saying...
We all face adversity. Part of what strengthens us, part of what molds us, part of what builds our character is adversity. In some ways, I see the changes caused by the pandemic as a test and a character builder for young folks. Young folks in college, who have solid parental support, who have had fairly golden lives all of a sudden are dealing with adversity.
Remote classes.
No parties.
Having to come up with ingenious ways to complete work, and deal with closed dorms, timed meals, and for a lot of colleges, single rooms with very little or no mingling.
Adversity builds us.
It teaches us. It drives complacency away, pushes smugness aside, and actually makes us work harder. Longer.
Have you seen that meme on Facebook that talked about what the "Greatest Generation" faced, folks born since 1910?
A world war that took over 20 million people.
A worldwide deadly pandemic that claimed over 50 million people.
A worldwide depression.
No jobs.
Mass numbers of suicides.
Lost homes.
Rise of Nazism.
Another world war, World War 2, 60 million dead.
Korean War.
Vietnam War.
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers..... and more.
Our parents and grandparents didn't just survive. They tried and thrived. They didn't give up. So when we're asked to deal with some adversity, I say we do it. We pull our big kid panties up and get on with it because if we weaken... if we become too complacent and are unwilling to meet adversity face to face and deal with whatever comes our way, then we become the weak link. The torn thread. The worn fabric.
I look at 2020 and say "Well, then..."
And I look at 2021 and say "Bring it."
Because no matter what happens, no matter what comes our way, no matter what surprises this year holds, the strength of faith reigns... the gift of hope eases the way... the blessing of love is ours.
We are blessed. We just don't always see those blessings.
So today I'm wishing you a Happy New Year! I refuse to lament 2020 because I had no control over it... it is what it is.
But I am darned certain that I will work to have and effect and control the things I can because that's what we're designed to do... unless we weaken our resolve.
And that's the last thing I want to see happen to this amazing and beautiful country.
Bossy inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne thinks that life is way too special to take lightly and way too fragile to waste so she writes sweet books in the dead of night, plays with grandkids, teaches a couple of cute fifth graders, runs a busy and thriving pumpkin farm and is of the belief that if you want something done, get on the git! :) With over 60 books published, Ruthy is not only living her dream of being a published author, but appreciating God's great and abundant blessings and she wishes the very same for you! Write to Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com, friend her on Facebook or visit Ruthy's website ruthloganherne.com
Ruthy, I knew you wrote this post the minute I started reading it. I love where you talk about refusing to lament 2020. Wise words and great advice.
ReplyDeleteI hope your 2021 is filled with joy, laughter, and God’s blessings.
Terri, I'm laughing! :) You are so right, it's totally me... but gosh, we've got to move forward, don't we? I look at the history of this nation, and what we were built on, the courage and the tenacity... and I get a little amazed at where we are, wanting to be taken care of. But that's my Yankee backbone talking... Terri, thanks for coming by!
DeleteTerri, I knew it was RUthy too. What a voice, even in a blog post.
DeleteKB
Ruthy thanks for the impetus to take on 2021 and thanks for the historical perspective. This is NOT the worst year ever and your examples, especially of the Greatest Generation, are spot on. I write mostly historicals because I think about the struggles people faced in earlier times, with none of what we "take for granted." My characters in the first Oregon Trail book had to get through a cholera epidemic without the Internet OR Dr. Fauci. And don't get me started on childbirth.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm researching the American Revolution as a basis for a possible next series, and I am blown away by the courage it took for the Patriots to face down the British. I live near Lexington and Concord and when I go there it sends chills down my spine just to stand where they stood and fought. But I'm also blown away by the courage of the Brits when Hitler threatened THEIR way of life. We as a human race can be pretty amazing.
And that's what I've seen this year, people rising to the occasion and going the distance, whether it's shopping for an elderly neighbor or developing a vaccine. We've seen the best people can be, haven't we?
May be back later, lunch with my daughter and a few New Year's errands.
Kathy Bailey
Kathy, exactly. You are spot on that historical times were dreadfully hard for folks, and most of them had none of the comforts we've become so accustomed to. And sometimes too much comfort makes us soft... we forget to have backbone and face front.
DeleteI'm often reminded of a study about chickadees... the study showed that the chickadees born in the South weren't as strong or as canny as the ones born in the north that had to migrate... Not because the northern ones were smarter. We're talking the same birds! But because their northern cousins had to work harder to survive, to thrive, to raise their young.
There is such a sensible lesson in that. Not a North v. South lesson, LOL! But an adversity lesson. If we have to work harder for what we need, we strengthen ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically.
I'm often taken aback that more folks don't see this difference as something they could and maybe should change... To stay a strong society we need to be a strong society. So maybe this adversity will help stoke that old strength back to the right levels?
Well said and how true! When we were about to ring in the year 2000, and the Y2K thing was a threat, I was literally wishing for everything to shut down for at least a few days. Everyone, including my own family, had gotten so soft and maybe even in denial about things changing...drastically. We have become so spoiled with our easy lives, we wouldn't know what to do if we really had to go through some of the things our not so long ago ancestors did. I'm afraid our younger generation wouldn't know how to survive it. Entitlement and selfishness has become reality in their eyes. I still pray it's not too late for them to learn.
DeleteJob 19:25. "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God."
ReplyDeleteWe have this hope...
Your Kaybee
Believing, hoping and enduring in New Hampshire
Singing.... (the alto, because I have a frog voice...) "I know that my Redeemer lives... I know that my Redeemer lives. And He shall stand on the latter day... upon the Earth... " Thank you for that reminder, Kathy!
DeleteMy favorite verse in Job!
DeleteI love that you never pull any punches, Ruthy. Yep, this year was hard, but God is still good. Tough times have shown us the best and worst of others and ourselves, if we're honest enough to admit it. But one of my mom's favorite verses was Psalm 27:13 - "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living." I want that to be my hope this next year.
ReplyDeleteGlynis, I LOVE that Psalm! Thanks for reminding me!
DeleteOh, that is the BEST REMINDER!!!!! The goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. :) You have blessed us with that, Glynis! Thank you!
DeleteAnd this, ladies and gentlemen, is the sensitive lady that raised me. ;) Just kidding, Ru! Love you and love this post!
ReplyDeleteHahahahah! I do not always win popularity contests, that's one thing for certain! But the plus side is that I am always me... and at least folks can count on that. The insensitive, pull-up-the-bootstraps gal that talked with them on Monday is the same gal in the pew on Sunday. :) Let's get it done!
DeleteAwww, Ruthy. I loved this. Yes, 2020 was a tough year. But there were tender times in the middle of the hard. Extra time with my family. Hubs was home more. I had some amazing conversations with our two boy-men. I completed and submitted a book and proposal (it was rejected, but I submitted!). A family vacay to the nearby mountains. Time with extended family. Learning how to focus in the middle of crazy seasons. Yes, there were definitely good things amid the difficult. I thank the Lord for being with us in every moment. Thank you for pointing us to the Lord and to a broader focus than just the challenges of 2020.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Hey, Jeanne! That sounds like you certainly made lemons out of lemonade... and the other thing I've found this year is that there are so many opportunities to help people. To just reach out and help others, to be the hand of kindness... And that's a whole other blessing!
DeleteI love this! Thank you for having the courage to say it. I feel exactly the same way and I even wonder if we needed this and will somehow be bettered for having gone through it. Not a popular opinion. I feel badly for those who have taken hits in one form or another but I’m also proud of those rising up and overcoming. Being strengthened by adversity is a choice of mindset in many instances. Thanks for the reminder to make the choice.
ReplyDeleteAw, Dalyn, thank you... and bless you! It's not always popular but I kind of learned to get over the "popular" thing in 8th grade when Sr. Mary Cordis asked this question, "Do you want to be like them, Ruth? Is that who you really are?"
DeleteI had made the cheerleading squad and there was a lot of girl backstabbing going on... and those words stuck with me always.
"Do you want to be like them?"
That was my first age-of-awareness moment that told me I could chart my own course. I love coming of age moments, Dalyn!
Great post, Ruthy. Thanks for the optimism to propel us into the new year. I think it will be great. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I agree because whatever it is, we've got the grace of God and the blessing of faith. And if we share our kindness and smiles with those in need... and whatever else we have... we make the world more Christ-like. How can that be a bad thing? Bless you!
DeletePulling up my big-girl panties!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ruthy. This is a great post for the end of 2020. Looking forward!
I'm with you! Onward we go.
DeleteRuthy, Thank you for these wise and encouraging words! Happy New Year to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Edwina! Bless you so much!!!!
DeleteLove this, Ruthy.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. (That's a little scary...)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA! ROLLING ON THE FLOOR, LAUGHING FOR REAL!!!!!
DeleteI love this, Ruthy. So much. I am so tired of all the complaining. 2020 was different but not all bad. And, I, for one, am ready to count myriad blessings. :-) Let's do this!
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you. Counting blessings is way more fun than lamenting what we couldn't help and/or change. Westward ho!
DeleteThank you Ruthy! It's all about perspective I think. And 2020, as bad as it has been for some people, there's a lot of good that has come out of it too. I guess it depends if you're a half full/empty kind of person how one views the end of this year. Happy New Year to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lee-Ann! And I agree, perspective is huge. And I have a lot of friends and family that would disagree with me... and that's their right. But in the end I refuse to give up my strength and beliefs and independence to live in fear when I see and appreciate what others have survived. Seeing what our ancestors confronted makes me want to stop whining FOREVER. We are such a bunch of silly people.
DeleteHi Ruth:
ReplyDeleteYou wrote:
"Get out of your comfort zone".
I'd love to be able to do that but first I'd need to know how I can get into a comfort zone. Still seeking!
Happy New Year!
Hahahahahah! I think we all fall into a comfort zone of regularity, my friend. Most of us hate change. Most of us fall into patterns and resent an upset in those patterns. And then along comes war or pestilence or pandemics or disasters and we're shaken... So maybe you're a teensy weensy more comfortable than you'd care to admit, hmm? :) Thanks for stopping by, Vince!
DeleteHi Ruth:
DeleteWow!
Now I can see what I need to do. I need to join up with most of us. It seems that if you can think of ways to make your life more uncomfortable than it already is, then you are in your comfort zone.
The big trouble with change is that things can go from bad to worse and we are advised by our mamas not to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. There is something puritanically delicious with being uncomfortable.
But,
if change was always good, then it would have a better reputation.
But in all seriousness, why look at a comfort zone as something to flee? Why not create a comfort zone that lets you become the best, most productive and self-actualizing human being and child of God that you can be?
Not all medicine has to taste bad?
Blessings & Love
O N E
DeleteW O R D
Hi Ruth:
You have inspired my One Word for 2021!
E x p a n d
Expand any comfort zone to encompass a more abundant life and greater blessings!
It is said that a person who loves their job never has to work a day in their lives.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
It is not by discomfort alone…but by the expansion of Grace!
Is not the greatest comfort knowing you are on the right path?
Expand...
We shall agree to disagree on this somewhat because if people did expand their comfort zones to include discomforts, there'd be no conversation. I think our humanity and maybe weakness or frailty means that we're likely to get stuck in a groove like a long-play record with a deep scratch.
DeleteBut I love using EXPAND as a word for 2021 because I do think you're on to something. Something grand and wise and fine.
Which means I shall share my eggnog and my fresh pumpkin roll and/or chocolate cream pie. Right after I do an hour of low-impact exercise. :) Not my preferred comfort zone but necessary for the survival of the author! Happy New Year my friend!
"I do think you're on to something. Something grand and wise and fine."
DeleteThat is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me! You've already made 2021 a success! You've put a song in my heart!
♫♪♪♪♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪♪ ♫♪♫♪♫ ♪♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♪ ♫♪♫♪♫
.
Delete"The Universe is forever expanding but it never gets outside itself."
I'm eading this on the last day of the year. I do believe that, even if 2021 proves to be just as challenging, we are up to it! 2020 toughened us and showed us what truly matters and what we can absolutely do without! Thanks for the inspiration and entertainment that you give us. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY!!!!! We need backbones throughout... And Happy New Year, Connie!
DeleteHappy New Year To All Yes 2020 has been so challenging in so many ways! Thank you for your inspiration Ruth now on too 2021!
ReplyDeleteRaising a mug of diet Mt. Dew to toast you, Sarah! Thanks for stopping in!
DeleteI never thought I's agree with you.....once. Now as I've become a full-time caregiver to my hubby, I'm in a challenge zone. Wonder of wonders, I'm thriving. yes I get weary, but feel proud I'm really doing such a useful task/ ministry. My love for my dear man has grown even stronger. And I thank my wonderful lord for giving His Grace to me so freely. God bless you dear, "git-gal". :)
ReplyDeleteRita, what an inspiring post... That is absolutely beautiful even if you didn't agree with me, sweet thing... thank you so much not only for what you're doing, but sharing the grace of that blessing. A servant's hands and heart are a wonderful thing to have. Happy New Year to you!
DeleteHappy New Year, Ruthy. And this too shall pass. One of my mother in law's favorite sayings. She was a very wise woman.
ReplyDeleteShe would have loved Isabelle... especially her line about being too busy to have a breakdown or whatever it was you told me... that was Aunt Isabelle to a "T". Probably where I get it from... Happy New Year, Mary!
DeleteAnd so are you!
ReplyDelete