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<\/a><\/p>\nThe old year didn’t really last a decade<\/h2>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.doingwhatmatters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/athena-camera-may-2020-sm-225x300.jpeg?resize=200%2C267&ssl=1\")
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<\/h2>\nThe big event in our family was the wedding of one of our sons during the time when gatherings of more than ten people were not happening. Since the chapel had windows, some family members were able to watch from outside (the peeking-in-the-window photos are some of my favorites!). For the rest of the family, we streamed the tiny, intimate ceremony from an iPhone. After the ceremony, we all, even the bride, pitched in to take photos in a serendipitously-located field of bachelor buttons. So much was different from what was originally planned, but it was no less special and meaningful. And it was certainly unforgettable!<\/p>\n
Since I work from home anyway, my daily routine did not change much. I missed going to church and running basic errands, and nearly lost track of time as days ran together without much happening. What changed most was conference travel. Most of the homeschool conferences I usually go to didn’t take place, so we missed all those weekends of traveling, packing, unpacking, and repacking boxes (tons?) of books, and the chances to see friends that we’ve made through many years of conference-going. Instead of in-person encounters, I spent a fair amount of time on Zoom, which can be better than nothing. But it’s not the same.<\/p>\n
In the end, there is always hope<\/h3>\n
With the New Year just hours away, I’m contemplating things lost and things gained. Although there were losses from not being able to travel and do many of things we normally do, there were things gained, too. I want to have eyes to see both, a heart to be grateful, and a spirit that is hopeful.<\/p>\n
For the year just past, I am deeply grateful for a new daughter-in-law, \u00a0more time at home and with family, and the reminder that busy-ness and overconsumption can creep in, even when we desire to live a life focused on what is good, true, and beautiful.<\/p>\n
For the New Year that is coming, I hope to live in peace, discerning and doing the things that truly matter. I’ll have specific goals, too, including releasing a refreshed edition of Excellence in Literature<\/a>\u00a0(never fear, changes won’t be large; the current edition is still quite functional!) and putting more great resources on the EIL website<\/a>,. I haven’t quite finished the goal list yet \u2014 I’m trying to keep it winnowed to the most essential things in each category, as we really don’t know what the New Year will bring.<\/p>\n For our country and the world, I hope that the challenges of this past year will usher in changes for good, as sometimes happens after times of trauma (this article from the Smithsonian offers a hopeful look at “How Epidemics of the Past Changed the Way Americans Lived<\/a>“).<\/p>\n I hope that the disruption in classroom education can lead to much-needed positive changes for students of all ages, including the incorporation of the ideas of Sir Ken Robinson<\/a> and other sound thinkers about education. Some of the best learning can happen with a library of books, a stack of notebooks, and ample time for play, but there are families for whom language, ability, access, or even awareness of options is an obstacle. Is there a way we can reach out to those families with help and hope?<\/p>\n For you, dear reader, I offer you a poem of optimism and hope, and I wish for you a New Year of clarity, peace, and hope. And lots and lots of great reading!<\/p>\n From “In Memoriam” by<\/em>Ring Out, Wild Bells<\/h3>\n
\nAlfred Lord Tennyson<\/em><\/p>\n