What a Difference a Year Makes

For the past few weeks, I have considered taking up writing on a blog again.  Part of this is because I'm not sure that I want all my thoughts on Facebook, but also because I feel led to share some of this period in my life with others.  When I chose this title in the shower, I did not know that I had done a post with the same title years ago.  Just looking at a few of the things going on then, I can tell you that my life has changed drastically.  

One year ago today, I had just boarded my first cruise ship for an 8 day cruise to Bermuda with my travel partner, Mary.  This was a long awaited vacation.  We had booked the cruise 19 months beforehand.  And this wasn't just any cruise - it was a Crochet Cruise.  We were going to be able to meet the people behind the hugely popular Crochet Crowd.  I am was thrilled - to be able to go on a cruise, to be going to Bermuda and to be meeting Diva Dan and Mikey.  It was a great time.  Very relaxing.  Mary and I met a lot of wonderful people and where thrilled to participate and learn so much about crochet.  Not to mention all the yarn that we brought home.  I was more relaxed than I had been in years.  

Today, I'm sitting at home with Kaliyah, who has been an only furkid for almost 5 years now (in 9 days, it will be 5 years since Madi passed).  I'm not working.  Not by choice, mind you.  But not working nevertheless.  And to explain all that has happened could almost be a book - not a blog post.  The short version is that on September 9, 2019, I walked into my office and sat down to start my day.  I had barely sat when my boss called and asked me to come meet with him.  This was not entirely unusual - early morning and later afternoon where the most available either of us ever were to talk.  I went back to the board room and the HR Director was in the room too.  I was told that a decision had been made to restructure my department and my position was eliminated.  I would be given a small severance package and I could leave immediately.  I was shocked.  There are days I am still shocked.  

Six months later, the entire world changed with the announcement of COVID-19 - a global pandemic that was killing thousands.  The entire nation essentially shutdown and we began to see unprecedented life changes - high rates of unemployment, schools closed, everyone wearing masks, daily numbers about those who tested positive and how many died.  Four months later and we still haven't returned to any sense of normalcy.  The nation is slowly opening back up.  The economy is on its way to likely the worst recession/depression we have ever seen (yes, worse that the Great Depression of the 1930s).  I'm still not working and constantly amazed and thankful that God has provided a way for me to survive during this time without needing to return to live with a parent.  

So that's the really short version of how difference a year makes.  I feel like this post needed to be written in order for me to start getting some of the other things off of my mind.  Those topics will be a lost deeper - racism, poverty, government, and education just to name a few.  I hope you'll join me on this journey we call life.