It’s hard not to be somber at the end of this year. Over 350,000 people have died in my country. Our national issues were exacerbated by ineffective government policy and in-group fighting. We saw who really mattered to our leaders, and it was not the essential workers or common people. We failed, and it hurts.

However, on personal levels, this was a great year. After six months, hundreds of applications, and maybe five actual interviews, I secured my dream job and get to work in my chosen fields of linguistics and communication.

After three years away, I spent much needed time with family. I was able to be with my loved ones during three unexpected family deaths. It was difficult, but I was grateful to be there.

We are still hurting, but I am thankful to pause and be present, if not in person, at least near the ones I love the most.

I asked my friends on social media to tell me something good that happened to them in 2020.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of positive responses.

Six people got new jobs, many of them ones they love or enjoy more than their previous ones.

Five people had babies, and one had a daughter and adopted three kids.

Three people got engaged to the loves of their lives, and one person got married.

Two people graduated college, one person graduated high school, and one person got a full ride to graduate school.

People reached weight loss goals, got new certifications, spent more time with their children and families.

People adopted puppies and kittens and had more time to take care of them.

People learned to play guitar and bake bread and welcomed anniversaries with their significant others.

They built vacation cottages, remodeled their homes, and retired from work.

They started counseling programs, celebrated months of being sober, and began the process of repairing relationships with family.

One family member said the best part of 2020 was “my daughter being home with me all year and her maturing to an age where we actually have a closer mother daughter relationship. We have had fun watching movies, laughing and talking about things we would never have had the chance if we hadn’t been stuck together since March.”

Another friend noted she enjoyed being able to travel internationally before the world locked down, but she honestly loved “being able to enjoy many, many evenings eating take-out on the couch with my daughter while laughing about our jobs together.”

Despite extended time at home, one cousin put it this way: “We are healthy and still like and love each other living in close quarters.”

Another friend celebrated the birth of their first daughter and that we will “seemingly make it to 2021.”

I will not mince words. It was a brutal year. Millions of neighbors are still hurting with no relief. We must look to mutual aid groups and funds to fill in the gaps. We must work for better policies and fund health care and science. We must stop violence against people of color, seek justice, and affirm now and every day that Black Lives still Matter, and unless we are all free, none of us are.

Much work is to be done, and it has been dark and painful.

But we do see hope. In little joys, unfazed resilience, and hard-won milestones.

Thank you for your support, for welcoming me home after three years, for reading my words and putting up with my earnestness.

I love you all. See y’all in 2021.