…a New Beginning! One we deserve! One that should make you feel capable of beginning your own metamorphosis! After all, 2020 has forced us to tear apart and examine our personal and societal belief systems. We wrestled Democracy from the hands of those who would destroy it, fighting back against those who squash all dissent that contradicts their subjective perception.

We battled racism in our streets, people of all ages, genders, and colors of the rainbow coming together to protest for justice. We struggled through political divide, often causing discord in our very own families or circle of friends. We braved an ever-increasing number of natural disasters. All the while, we slogged through a pandemic in which 333,000 Americans perished.

We’ve spiraled down the drain hole of conspiracy theories, with scientists and their families being threatened for speaking the truth about the impact of the plague. Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was almost killed, the state house overturned, because anti-government protestors disagreed with lock-down measures she’d imposed in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Since COVID-19 began, over 8 million workers have lost jobs with employer-sponsored health insurance, impacting over 7 million dependents. Eviction notices, thankfully, were put on hold. Through it all, healthcare staff, delivery folks, trash collectors, fire fighters, polices, teachers, and grocery store and pharmacy personnel put themselves in harm’s way by continuing to show up, day after day, on our behalf.

Then, on December 14, when life couldn’t get much worse, Pfeizer, BioNTech, and Moderna bestowed upon us the best Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanza gifts of all! Not just one, but–count them–two vaccines to ward off the worst effects of COVID-19 by teaching our immune system to develop antibodies to the virus. A second stimulus bill has finally been signed into action, just days before the New Year begins.

Life is slowly peeking out from beneath the bed covers. It’s like we collectively crossed the Red Sea, scaled Mt. Everest, and built a space colony on Mars, all in one year! In the nine months since COVID-19, I personally feel like I’ve been reborn. Can you relate? Let’s greet each day as a new page in our respective journal of life. Know that if you’ve lived through the year that was, you are powerful enough to make justice and compassion your guide, not just for 2021 but for decades to come.

Happy New Year!