Goodbye and Good Riddance to 2020

Last year was the worst year of my life. No comparison. Too many losses. Too many cancelled plans. Too much missing friends and family. Thank goodness, it is over.

 I have had bad years before.

 My father died in 1954 when I was seven years old. It was terrible. But I still had my mother and brother and neighbors who were like family. I escaped at school, which I loved.

Another difficult year was 1980. Larry’s best friend was diagnosed with leukemia. We had planned to move to Orange County, but we had a fire in our house. The attic space and roof were lost. We took a cruise, which was a minor disaster. And Larry’s best friend died. A pretty terrible year.

 Another challenging year was 2011. Larry’s dad died on January 3.

We returned to Osaka in March for the tenth anniversary of the opening of Universal Studios Japan theme park. We loved seeing our friends and enjoying the park. At the end of April, Larry retired. 

Near the end of July, my mother died.

I retired at the end of August. I wasn’t really ready, and it took months to adjust.

But this year…

I lost several of my closest friends, including my oldest and dearest childhood friend. A classmate from Hawaii who stayed with us when she was in Orange County died suddenly of cancer. We stayed with her on Maui on our last trip.

Then, a close friend and fellow Girl Scout leader passed away unexpectedly. We raised our kids together and stayed in touch for years. 

At the end of August, my brother died suddenly. I haven’t been able to write about him yet. I’m not ready to process the loss.

Then, last month, a precious young man we loved like a grandchild took his own life. It brought us to our knees with grief.

We haven’t seen our daughter in a year. And we won’t see her for several more months.

BUT, we survived. We have not caught the virus, so far. We have lost a few friends from it, and others have been very ill. We trust science, Dr. Fauci, and the CDC. We wear masks and stay home.

 2021 feels like hope and the promise of better things to come. We hope to travel again this year, and see friends and family, and to hug and kiss again.

Wishing everyone a joyous and better new year in 2021.