My mom told me my posts are “depressing.” I gather she means I could share more about what I’m thankful for. And I believe she’s right! While racialized capitalism and other weighty topics are important to highlight, so too are the blessings I receive and the joy I feel (and joy is the very thing Jonathan Cox prescribed for us last week in his post.) So in these last days of 2020, I offer praise to God for the top 5 wonderful things he accomplished in and through me this year.
1. A closer walk with the Him.“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages” (Charles Spurgeon). While the coronavirus has knocked me around, I’ve gained spiritual depth through my struggles as I adapt to new limitations. I have a deeper dependence on the Lord because I’m daily reminded of how precarious my existence is.
2. Mother-daughter extended slumber party. My mom invited me to move into her home in March and we’ve been roomies riding out “the rona” since. Mom still teaches me life lessons: from how to make baaad soy-ginger turkey tenders, to the importance of silly movies to counter the tough stuff (I still don’t like the Hallmark Channel though). While watching movies, we chat and nosh on our culinary “trifecta”—popcorn, dark chocolate, and red wine. She models enormous patience I need to learn, and sacrificial service is second nature to her—whether she’s delivering toiletry bags to homeless shelters or washing dishes I dirtied.
3. Deeper discussions about social justice. COVID-19, uprisings against racial injustice, and the trials of this Presidential Administration have created space for more honest conversations about all that led to this moment and how to build back better.
4. The ability to be comfy pretty much all the time. Come on,who doesn’t want softness on their skin? Over the past nine months, I’ve luxuriated in my lounge wear. Yes, I step it up for class and other professional gigs, but my comfy cozies are back on immediately upon clicking “leave meeting” on Zoom.
5. Less pressure to wear makeup. I loathe putting powders and cream on my face and I sense many other women are feeling increasingly free not to perform the feminine art of face painting—or maybe I see what I want to see. Either way, I’ve gone minimalist with my feminine adornments—lipstick and earrings, that’s all I got. No, I don’t even take the shine off my nose. The Lord told me to put my shine on a lampstand—and I’m gonna follow my nose on that one all the way into 2021!
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine…
Happy New Year!
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace. (Number 6: 24-26)
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