2020 20's: A found poem

(To create this found poem, I looked back at all the numbered entries ending in 20 in my gratitude list this year. I reworded many and rearranged them all, but preserved the content, trying to capture moments of gratitude throughout the year.)

2020 brought me

all kinds of surprises, not just the hard kind,

but also the church lady who told me she prays for me daily

(it was our first-ever conversation but I’m on the church’s list)

and the gorgeous tree that arrested me on my run through the park, whose mere photo awakens a sense of longing. 

(Maybe Niggle painted it?)

Thanks to Covid,

My graduation from leadership training was delayed,

giving me extra Skype encouragement from my mentor;

I learned about ancient Rome with my friends’ 4^th grader;

and I pulled off “Cordoba” on guitar, delighting my dad.

God provided, not just enough food, but tasty food:

Luscious pastries before we watched “Mulan,”

chicken marinated in Italian dressing,

homemade pizzas providing much laughter and invitations to creativity with Cambodians when the oven broke midstream.

He provided learning resources:

Khmer picture books to share with my coachees,

rich, clear resources on assessment from someone who left his heart with Cambodian teachers,

strategies for introverted teammates to courageously plunge into community time,

quality English books to help kids (including my favorite ones) learn about Himself.

God loved me through people:

my parents offering wise suggestions in a sticky situation,

considerate fellow campers driving me safely up the mountain on their motos and limiting my load to hold,

a friend who spent hours helping me process one morning.

What am I grateful for in 2020?

Plenty.