Reflections on 2020

Grandma Stella reflects on the profound impact of the year 2020, recognizing the humbling and transformative effect it had on society. She highlights the importance of kindness, compassion, and gratitude in the face of loss and adversity.

This year of 2020 that we are leaving behind has been one of which we had never before experienced. It has entirely made us rethink how we lived. It has made us feel more wary, more humble, and less cocky in how we behave. It has made us feel kinder towards others. We used to think that we were in control of our actions.

It very definitely taught us that we certainly are not. The pandemic swept across our world and felled so many of us that it is beyond our grasp and comprehension. I do not think that there is any one of us who does not know of people that had not passed away in this horrific scourge.

This year made us realize that we are not infallible. I hope it has made us feel more tolerant, kinder, and more compassionate to the loss and pains of others.

We have practiced social distancing, a new phrase in our universal vocabulary. We have learned to shed from ourselves the excesses we had become accustomed to. We have gone back to valuing and appreciating the basics which we had trivialized: good health, the love of family, and true friends. We have learned to live with our own selves.

Yes, we have experienced many painful things this past year, yet I hope we have learned what is important and what is not.

I wish you all a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2021. I pray that the pandemic will disappear with great haste in the coming year!