Blessings

As 2020 comes to a close, I am taking stock of the events of this year.  It has been one for the record books, to be sure.  It is no wonder many look a few short weeks ahead and long for the stroke of midnight to wash away the trauma, division, and insanity brought on these past 12 months.  For wherever we stand on the issues we faced—be it the pandemic, racism, the economy, or our President—they have taken their toll and we are exhausted.  We are done. We are ready for renewal.  

Yet, I hesitate.  The year 2020 has brought about horrible events that we shall not soon forget.  But it has brought about many blessings, as well.  And as I count them, I realize I am not so quick to turn my back on the year.

On New Year’s Eve 2019, my wife, Tonya, and I talked about how great 2020 was going to be for us.  Remember when we were all talking last year about how the Year 2020 was the Year of Strong Vision?  A year of acuity, clarity, and sharpness in our vision?  The best year ever!  Yeah, we were feeling that, too.  Rising Chiropractic was growing and would continue to grow.  We would help more people get healthier and lead better lives.  This would extend into our personal lives, as well.  Endless opportunities would be laid out before us, and we would take advantage of them.  We would see and do great things!  We would be prosperous.  We would be happier than we ever have been!

Then, at 12:05 on January 1, 2020, I looked out our back window and watched a rogue firework whiz by into the tree-filled hill behind our fence.  Within seconds, the hill lit up in flames.  The fire grew and climbed quickly toward our house and that of our neighbor’s.  We rushed to call 911 and wake our children.  Everyone moved with calm swiftness into the street as the fire crept closer and the house filled with smoke.  We all gathered together quietly and watched as the fire department worked to contain the fire.  My daughter—amazingly brave in those moments—sat in my arms until it was over.  

The fire was contained before it caused any property damage.  We were able to go back into our own beds that night.  We woke up the next morning and assessed the damage behind the fence.  It could have been so much worse, and yes, we were thankful that it wasn’t.

Yet, that is not all we said.  Just behind that was conversation about how 2020 was starting, and if this was the beginning what is it that we are in for?  We questioned why it happened in the first place.  We complained and griped—2020 was certainly not starting the way it should.  The days and weeks wore on and we maintained our assertion that this was not how a prosperous year was supposed to begin.  Eventually, the events of our New Year were replaced by other challenging events—both personal and societal—and we continued to express wonder over why all of this was happening.  

In looking back on all that, I missed the point.  I had laid out in my mind what I thought our 2020 should look like, and I balked at the notion that it could play out any other way.  And at the first challenge—or opportunity—I allowed doubt to creep in.  I may have asked what the blessing was in those first moments of the New Year, but I never bothered to seek and listen to the answer.  In doing so, I lost the opportunity to rejoice in that blessing and the countless others that came after that.  

As I acknowledge all the events of this year, it is clear that this is not the year we thought it would be.  It didn’t fit the roadmap we had in our mind, and it has caused us to live in a state of struggle with our reality.  When the struggles intensified, how many of us turned our backs on our belief that 2020 would be that Year of Strong Vision?  How many of us lost faith?  I am transparent in telling you, for a little while, I did.  I walked around with resentment and disbelief.  I kept wondering why on Earth all these things were happening and worried about what it was doing to the fabric of our collective lives.  I would periodically wallow in how unfair it was and focus on how problematic these controversies were to my quest for A Better Life.  

Then one day, I witnessed a miracle.  A few months prior, a mother walked in with her 12-year-old daughter.  Once a vibrant and active little girl, this child now could barely sit up and was unable to do most basic activities of daily living.  No one knew why.  This mother had exhausted all medical options to help her daughter.  After speaking with us at a screening (the last screening before the World shut down), she decided that Chiropractic could help.  Fast forward a couple months, when I was adjusting this child in my office.  I completed her analysis and adjustments and patted her on the back.  “You’re all set for today!  You are doing great!  See you tomorrow!”  The next thing I knew, I watched this child who could barely sit up suddenly bounce up off the table and walk out.  She was standing tall, her head was held high, and she smiled.  It was enough to give me pause.  It’s not that I hadn’t noted the changes.  I was checking in with her and her mother, and she was definitely making progress.  But I hadn’t fully perceived the meaning of those changes until that moment.  The blessing of this child.  She stopped my world for a moment.  She wasn’t just standing taller—this child was getting her life back.

What else had I not fully perceived while I was busy with all that resentment and disbelief—or just the activities of my daily life?  Hundreds of people walked through our doors—lives changed for the better.  How much of that was I missing because of my subconscious presupposition that this is not how the world is supposed to be right now?  What about my personal life?  What blessings was I missing because I was focusing on what was wrong in our world?

You see, we don’t know what is “supposed to be.”  The road that lies ahead of us is always unknown.  Yet we go about our lives so convinced that what we are experiencing isn’t “supposed to be.”  How do we know that, if we cannot predict the future?  If our road is unknown, how can we possibly know what each blessing should look like?  And if we don’t know what our blessings should look like, how many blessings have we been missing?? 

Let that sink in a moment…

What about this idea?  What if…we were all right about 2020 being the Year of Strong Vision?  What if each event we have experienced individually and collectively were opportunities to build the acuity, clarity, and sharpness of our vision?  What if each experience held infinite blessings for us to rejoice?  

Did we take advantage of the opportunities?  Did we perceive and rejoice the blessings?

As I look ahead into 2021 and ask myself what I want to gain over the next 12 months, I hope for a year exactly like 2020.  While it was a hard year, it brought many lessons and opportunities for growth.  I have gained wisdom, perception, and gratitude.  I have learned to look for the blessings amidst the chaos.  In fact, as I reconsider my hopes from this time last year, I got everything in 2020 I asked for:  Rising Chiropractic has grown and will continue to grow.  We helped more people get healthier and lead better lives.  This has extended into our personal lives as well.  Endless opportunities were laid out before us, and we took advantage of them.  We have seen and done great things!  We are prosperous and happier than we ever have been!  

It just didn’t happen the way I thought it would.  And that’s okay.  I am eternally grateful for it.

It might sound crazy, but I wish the same for each of you.  A year exactly like 2020, with all the wisdom, perception, and gratitude you have gained amidst the chaos.  Infinite blessings.  What a beautiful year it will be.