This year it feels like we have gone from tragedy to tragedy to tragedy, to blessing to blessing to blessing. And we have seen our friends and family experience the same ups and downs. But oh, those blessings! How sweet they are. We thought Covid had doomed our livelihood, and through a series of small and big blessings we have persevered. Patrick's health has been a roller coaster and yet he is still here! The nail-biting, heart-aching situations he has been through this last year with his health have seen us through to this moment - our strong marriage, and appreciation for every breath. We lost my dad in December, but feel surrounded by his presence through gifts he gave me over the years and rare photos of him that I leave on display. The memories I hold of him will keep me smiling when thoughts of him pop up unexpectedly. But through everything that has happened our faith remains strong. Opportunities opened for us that likely would have stayed closed, had we not gone through hardship. In us we found strength we didn't know we possessed. We watched devotion for the wellbeing of our small family be brought to the forefront of our consciousness by forces outside our control. Blessings? I don't hesitate to call them miracles. 2020 may not have been the ideal year, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Early isolation and quarantine built a stamina and self-preservation I didn't know was possible. Patrick's health crises reinforced my belief that hidden deep within me is a woman defined not by struggle but by overcoming those struggles. And various darts coming at us from all angles proved how resilient as a pair Patrick and I truly are. We are strong. We are timeless. We give thanks today for our family and friends who have seen us through this perilous year. We give thanks today for a God who has never once left our side. And we give thanks for the people we have become, and the blessings we will find in our future. Lots of love, Patrick & Haley
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