An Accounting

This year was not great for most people. There were big stretches of it I certainly didn't enjoy. But there were some unique opportunities that could have only occurred in the refining fire of struggle. To list them isn't to detract from the suffering, uncertainty, and the things I still yearn for, but not acknowledging them would make me ungrateful and short-sighted. Those are two things I certainly try to avoid.

We rule the courts in Mesa. Watch out.

I'm grateful that 2020 has presented opportunities for me to try some new hobbies. I've mentioned this multiple times recently, but I read more books than I have in years, and I'm so happy to have been entertained, challenged, and moved by the words other people committed themselves to write. My world is bigger for it. I've also done more things outdoors than I probably would have otherwise. There was no shortage of time to walk and run along canal banks, try new hiking trails, finally nail down some wakeboarding skills, and pick up pickleball. Some of these things were solo adventures, others I was able to do with friends. Both scenarios were incredibly worthwhile.

A very fun adventure cutting Christmas trees
with my siblings.

One of the things that has had surprising benefits to the adjusted life I had to live in 2020 was my Sunday experience. I loved the quiet in our house and that I was able to make my sacrament service precisely what I needed it to be week to week. On the first week that we were authorized to do in-home sacrament, I was surprised at the rush of emotions I felt putting on my church clothes. Those feelings multiplied as I listened to hymns and read the words in preparation for my personal communion. And over time, I came to feel the power of the priesthood in a new way as I recognized that the bread and water I took with righteous intent had the same power as the emblems passed to me in a church pew. To know that what was once just a torn piece of bread from my pantry became holy after quietly reciting a sacrament prayer was tremendously impactful, and it was an incredible opportunity to feel the priesthood working in such an individualized setting. It's something I won't soon forget, and I honestly miss those reverent moments kneeling on the floor of my room and knowing that something sacred was happening in a place that feels as ordinary as my house.

I'm hopeful that next year brings back some of the things I've missed. I'm also hopeful that in the time between now and whenever "normal" returns, I'll keep seeing the bright spots.

It was hard to not see each other in person as much,
but we found ways to make it work.