Friday, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas, From the Four Ferri


Oh, What a Year...

I led off last year's Christmas card by admitting that "2019 wasn't our year". Given the dumpster fire that was 2020, you might have expected a similar opening line this year. But I feel differently about 2020 than I did 2019. Yes, we experienced fear, anxiety, anger, and despair. But every negative emotion inspired me to find and hold on to its equal and opposite emotion. When so much of what surrounded us was bad, finding the good was easier than ever:

14yo Will participates in and loves all the sports. He still plays the cello, and was accepted into NJHS, became a coffee drinker, taught himself to play the piano, and started coaching youth soccer.

11yo Hallie has a song in her heart (specifically songs from Hamilton) and feet that just won't stop dancing. She has started to enjoy working on projects in the lab with Tom and has become an accomplished baker.

We all work and/or attend school at home. Tom still plays disc golf (often with Will and occasionally with Hallie, which makes the game even more fun), jams with friends, and invents "things". I shuttle kids to and from socially distant and masked extracurriculars, and feel grateful for the opportunity to do so as it makes life feel normal again. I also "keep the home" more than ever before (because everyone is using the home more than ever before), write when and where I can, and couldn't live without morning walks "with" my mom, friends, Friends, and pumpkin cream cold brews. Everyone except Tux loves our newest family project: fostering kittens.

What a gift this extra time with my people has been. I won't forget this year...for a lengthy list of unpleasant reasons, but for an even longer list of silver linings as well. 

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas.



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