Pros and Cons to the Latest Monkey Wrench

 It would seem that 2020 is not done messing with our lives yet, because we got another monkey wrench tossed at us on Sunday. Daniel was on his way back up to school when he got a text from one of his roommates. His roomie was having COVID symptoms, had scheduled a test, and wanted to let all those affected know. Daniel, smart boy that he is, turned around and came back home. His roommate’s test results came back positive today so it looks like Daniel will be hanging out with us a bit longer. At least all his classes were already planning to be exclusively online after Thanksgiving. Work is a whole different story, but most employers are very flexible with COVID related complications so he should be able to work that one out. As lousy as it is to be unable to go home, he would much rather be here than quarantined in his apartment. Because of when he last saw his roommate, he doesn’t even need to self-isolate, so he is able to get out as needed to help keep his cabin fever at bay. He is, however, disappointed about this turn of events. He feels, and rightly so, that COVID has completely rewritten his life and it is just keeps coming. On the flip side, he was having some conflicting emotions about missing out on all our Christmas festivities so he is glad he will be able to participate in all of those.

Moving on to a happier topic, my sister Esther is gifting to our family for Christmas this year. One of her great joys in life is choosing exactly the right gifts and she is hailed as the Queen of Christmas where gift giving is concerned. Part 1 of Christmas arrived at our house on Sunday evening with instructions to open it today. We did so and are super stoked (Yes, I know using that word dates me. I’m a child of the ‘80’s and am happy to claim my age.) because it is a Harry Potter Lego Advent Calendar. How fun is that? We’ve been very Harry focused this year and we are also Lego-philes, so this is perfect for us.

 

As we move into the last month of this year, I know many folks are anxious to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. As for me, we have some fun stuff for this month and I’m looking forward to the family time. There are usually so many concerts and activities that finding time for family stuff can be a challenge. This year, all the cancellations are leaving us with plenty of opportunities to celebrate together. In addition, I’m so looking forward to the increased focus on the Savior that always happens at this time of year. Learning to better hear his voice is something we are all working on and as my family and I do so, we are finding joy despite the monkey wrenches life keeps tossing at us.