A Norvell Note
December 31, 2020 Vol. 23 No. 38
All Will Be Well
Here’s the plan. When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2020 (that’s tonight), everything that has been wrong with this year will be made right.
Everyone is vaccinated, and no one had terrible side effects. Those who have been sick are getting well. COVID is a memory only. Hospitals return to typical, and front-line workers are back to working a regular shift.
All the money lost is recovered. Every small business that has closed reopens. Every job is restored and at a higher pay rate than before.
Restaurants reopen for outdoor and indoor dining.
Coffee shops welcome people to come in, sit, work, read, visit, and enjoy their space.
Stadiums and arenas, and concert venues are full of enthusiastic fans.
Everyone is pleased with the election results, the relief bill passed quickly and unanimously, and we all get a more generous check than we expected. The transition process is moving forward with total united and unprecedented cooperation.
Schools reopen completely, parents can go back to being parents, and every teacher gets a big raise.
Zoom calls are only for the fun stuff.
Churches start holding in-person services again.
Masks are no longer needed, and we can hug and shake hands again.
Happy New Year! It’s 2021, and all is well, all will be well.
If I had the power, that’s what would happen when the clock strikes midnight tonight.
Unfortunately, I don’t have that power, which is probably a good thing. I’m sure I would abuse it and do some dumb stuff. If the only reason you’re staying up until midnight, you might as well go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep because none of the things I mentioned are going to happen on January 1, 2021.
But don’t give up. Hope is still alive.
Changing the calendar may not alter world events, heal the sick, transform a personality, or replenish an empty bank account. Still, it does allow you to evaluate how we are living and make needed improvements.
The events of 2020 have reminded us of the importance of staying connected to people we love. That’s a good thing. Take that with you into the new year. Stay in touch. Get reconnected. If you need to express your love and appreciation, say it. Don’t wait until the right time. Now is the right time.
Living in a pandemic has opened our eyes to the fact that tomorrow is not guaranteed. So, live today. Leave the past in the past. Be present.
The anxiety produced by the Coronavirus, social unrest, and political chaos remind us to be people of peace and calm and discernment. We’ve learned to be careful with our words (some of us). Let’s continue to be cautious with what we say. We’ve learned to listen before we speak (some of us). Let’s keep listening. We’ve discovered how to be gentle and kind (some of us). Let’s continue being gentle and kind.
It’s a new year. The old year is gone. Struggles will continue, but if we use the wisdom we’ve gained in 2020, then 2021, no matter what it brings, is sure to be a better year.
“I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do:
I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me.”
Happy New Year, and may 2021 be a year of being blessed and being a blessing, of being loved and loving others, of holding on to hope and sharing your hope with others, and of finding peace and being a peacemaker.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2020 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved