It’s been a while. And lots of things have changed since I last wrote. My mother died. A global pandemic happened, with over 350,000 Americans dead this year. Hundreds of thousands more sick. We bought a house and moved (during the pandemic–no easy task!). My oldest got engaged. My youngest (7) was diagnosed with an eating disorder. My husband, Tony, finally (!) got glasses!! I was a little bit afraid he’d forgotten what I looked like. 😉 But he stuck around, so I guess he wasn’t too disappointed.

We had several high profile deaths at the hands of the police this year: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and Tamir Rice, to name a few. And people protested in record numbers. And, in November, an incredible 81 million people voted for HOPE and Joe Biden will be sworn in as our new President on January 20 with Kamala Harris, our first female Vice-President, at his side.

Mr. Biden has a lot to contend with. His biggest challenge will be getting Covid-19 under control, but with a couple or three newly minted vaccines the hardest part now seems to be distribution. The real challenge is going to be getting the economy back on track after the shutdowns and partials shutdowns caused by the virus. Biden has committed, though, to being a President for everyone. And I believe him. He speaks kindness and faith, and that appeals to me. It calms me and makes me believe better times are ahead. We’ve had enough hate and division to last a few lifetimes.

In our little world the Christmas decorations have mostly been put away and high school basketball is about to start. The late start is due to the virus. This will be Bailey’s last year playing hoops. He’s been playing in some form or fashion since he was 3 or 4, maybe. We scrolled through photos last night at dinner, trying to decide which to use for his “Senior Board”. So many teams, coaches, uniforms. So many memories. I wonder if he has any idea how many times his teammates trusted him to take the last, game-winning, shot. Or how much faith it takes to pass the ball when you could take that last shot yourself. I hope he knows.

I asked him if he was ready for it to be over. He said he wasn’t sure. I know it’s been a lot. Six a.m. practices. Two a day practices. Always having to consider the team first. School ball, AAU ball, summer ball–it’s definitely enough to cause burnout. But, I’m not ready. I’m not ready for Senior Night that’s rapidly approaching. I’m not ready for his last uniform. Or his last coach or his last game. I’m not ready for it to be over.