Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and a whole lot of congratulations for making it through 2020. What a year it has been!
For us Longmires, 2020 has been a tremendous year of growth, adaptation, resiliency, and reprioritizing what is most important. In short, 2020 has been a gift. I know, call me crazy, but I am very grateful for 2020. I always tell my girls that "We can do hard things." Well, this year put us to the test and we are finishing the year stronger in character, faith, love, and purpose than when we began. I am not sad to see it go, but I will never ever forget it.
I started 2020 having finally gotten my feet back under me after navigating my foot injury and subsequent recovery. I also started the year dealing with the recovery of mono and working to get my health back under wraps. So funny that just when I got my immunity back on track we entered a global pandemic. Trust me, the irony is not lost on me. But having worked so hard to mentally, spiritually, and physically examine what is ultimately best for my body I found myself in an exciting place of breathing and movement through yoga. There is a meme out there of a car under a falling building with a bunch of steel beams holding up the tenuous building. The building is 2020, the car, ME, and all of the steel beams, Yoga. Yoga was the purpose that helped me navigate quarantine and too much time with my loved ones. It was a deeply Divine gift even when I found it amidst dog kisses, children fighting, laundry piles, and quarantine.
Speaking of quarantine we learned how to homeschool this year. I will say it over and over again, never say never. Bob and I both know that we are ultimately not cut out to homeschool our children for a myriad of reasons. Not only did we figure out how to all live at home, together, on top of each other, but by golly, we figured out how to homeschool.
Let me be real clear here that it was most assuredly NOT easy and we had our fair share of weeks (and months) where we Longmires were not at our best, BUT Jesus is faithful, and grace, love, and joy won out over despair, anger, and frustration in our home. We rose to the challenge and our relationships grew stronger and more resilient. Especially this one.......
Bob and I have been witness to so many relationships finding irreparable cracks during this year and watching as so many marriages come to unconquerable impasses. There is no doubt 2020 has been a challenging year for couples. Bob went from travelling 2-4 times a month to no travel at all, while moving home full time to work. All of a sudden the 4 of us were each others company all day, every day, and twice on Sunday's. These pictures may belie it, but I will tell you, it was hard for us too.
But I am even more grateful for this man who loves me and his family so deeply that you can't help but feel like you are in the presence of the Divine. This year we both learned the abundance of a life lived extending grace. Grace to your spouse, your kids, your neighbors, your government, your world. When things get wild, and crazy, and hard, and out of control we do the thing Jesus did......love harder, let go of more, and be an extension of grace. 16 years with this man by my side just isn't enough.
Lily finished her 3rd grade year at home and began her 4th grade year behind a computer. I am so deeply proud of her. She has learned how to use technology to her advantage and is in the top 100% club of her class. Now that assignments are submitted through online platforms navigating all of the work and getting it submitted is HARD, this girl has gone through the hard work of figuring it out and at one point this year was one of 2 kids in her class with all of their assignments submitted. SO PROUD. She is an independent learner and no longer needs me to play micro manager. She reads like crazy and has found herself up till 11 or after with her nose in Dork Diaries, The Babysitter's Club, Archie Comics, or other graphic novels. Once we found her love, she has become unstoppable. Aside from her academic skills though is her personhood, her character, and her ability to see the world. Lily wrestles with hard questions and asks meaningful things. She is working out this world and is doing it in a time when anger, strife, frustration, and pain seems the topic of a lot of adult conversations.
Her joy still always shines through and the beauty that is Lily blesses my heart in more ways than I can tell you. Lily chose to be baptized this year and has found a deep love for Jesus. She absolutely loves Kidslife and her community at church. Lily is still an avid swimmer and swims with MAC 3 days a week. She restarted Tennis this semester and is LOVING it. She is deeply into making jewlery and has a crafty side. Lily loves to ride horses and has become quite the horsewoman this year. She and Nightwing are buds up at Memaw's. This young woman is now in double digits and I am so excited to walk her through the next 10 years of her life. Big things on the horizon for this kid.
Evie Bee, this girl. I am going to say it right now, really loud. Evie is going to change the world for a lot of people. She has already changed Bob and I in ways that I didn't see coming. Evie is extra, and bold, and a challenger. I cannot even imagine what it would be like as a second grader to go from school to a computer and this very social active kid had a hard time. Having to not only navigate technology and Zoom calls, but the reality of living in a pandemic was honestly at times too much for this kid. Who am I kidding....for all of us. Evie lives large. Emotions are big, love is big, and she is quite literally the barometer for our family. Its been life changing for me to parent her. As I reflect on our hard times all that I can think about is how much her emotions, actions, and words mimicked my own internal thoughts. I just have to act like an adult. Evie is genuine and real and does not walk on eggshells. Evie is not about pretense and speaks plainly even when we would rather she didnt. She is deeply loved by a great many people. This year her Kidslife teacher literally called me up to tell me how much she loved Evie and if she could come and take her for ice cream. Evie makes friends of all ages wherever she goes.
Evie has become quite the reader this year and her math skills are soaring. Even amidst all of this challenging school stuff she too has risen up and figured out how to do this thing called remote school. She is an excellent speller and loves to learn about animals. Manatees are her favorite creatures right now and I secretly hope she becomes a Marine Biologist....or a Vet....or maybe a Marine explorer. She loves animals. She loves her gymnastics and has started piano lessons this year. She rides horses with Memaw and still gives anything to have a tickle pit with Dad. I think this child runs on tickles. I mean even during our hardest days she would still knock on the office door and ask Daddy to play "tickles."
Evie too chose to be baptized this year and Bob and I can not even begin to tell you how excited we are to watch that ground breaking love wash over their lives.
Doing literally everything together under quarantine has brought out the best and worst in all of us. At worst these two want to scratch each other's eyes out, and at best they are filling the house with giggles and partnership. Its a balance and the ability to choose peace v. war has presented itself all day some days. We are learning how to have hard conversations when your sister is literally your polar opposite (how apt for our world right now).
At the end of the day we Longmires deeply love one another and stand with our teamates come hell or high water.
We are also in the embarrassment stage of parenting and IT IS AWESOME! Oh the kissing that gets to take place in my house all the time. Its so wonderful. Bob and I are dared to kiss one another all the time while the girls roll their eyes and get all "ew" about it. Its perfect. I remember feeling that way about Mom and Dad's PDA.
We know that at the end of the day our girls love to see our love. Its safe and reminds them of how special Mom and Dad's relationships is. It solidifies what's worth praying and waiting for. Lily told me the other day "Man Mom, Daddy really loves you doesn't he?" Yes indeed baby girl, but the feeling is most definitely mutual.
While our travelling has been minimal we were able to take 2 really awesome trips this year. Went to Kure Beach with our cousins in July and spent almost the entire month of October visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Florida and Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy in Texas. We camped and made lots of other memories with our friends and truly made the best of a quarantine situation.
2020 has delivered a lot of blows, but that is life and we are leaving the year with our gratefulness overflowing. Pandemic or not, life is still so very worth living and doing and we are so blessed to have a team that is weathering the storm.
We pray that you too will find all of the diamonds in the rough of this year.
To the lessons we have learned, and the resilience we have built.
Here's to 2020 and the hope of 2021!
Love, The Longmires
