This year is almost over. It’s hard to believe, we only have a few days of 2021 left. Some days have seemed to drag, but most of the year had me wondering where the days, weeks, and months have gone. I’m sure the weeks didn’t have 7 days in them, and I’m certain that the months were all missing one and sometimes more weeks. Did you feel that way?

After looking at houses for a few months, talking to some realtors, and waiting and praying some more, we decided to stay because there weren’t any houses like we wanted, where we wanted, for the price we needed.

Then we waited again. This time to have the money to start work on the house.

Finally in July we started packing up books and all sorts of things. Demolition started the last Saturday in July. I did a lot of the tearing out myself from pulling off old wallpaper and lath and plaster, to ripping down the ceilings, to knocking down about 10 feet of solid chimney, tearing up carpets, and taking out square nails. But when it came to putting things together again, I had to wait. My dad and I did most of the construction ourselves, but we had someone else hang the Sheetrock (after we waited again), and do the mudding and texturing (after more waiting). Then painting walls, trim, and learning to install the new floor.

All this work and waiting. The expectancy of being done and moved back in by the beginning of November only to have to wait again.

And here it is almost the end of the year and, while the bedroom and sewing room are done except for installing the drawers in the cabinets, the hall isn’t done and we have boxes of books stacked behind the Christmas tree and elsewhere. Still waiting.

Also during this year my grandma was diagnosed with dementia and a tumor was discovered. She is now living in a nursing home and my grandpa goes to see her every day. There was waiting as Grandma got worse and no one knew what to do or how to provide the care for her. There is still waiting as she slowly grows weaker and doesn’t remember who people are.

But even in the waiting, in the stress that came with living in messes and feeling as though I can’t think and can hardly function, the stress of being unable to give help to my grandparents and the pain of watching Grandma slowly slip away and Grandpa deal with depression and sadness as he watches his wife of over 70 years change, God was and still is Emmanuel.

God with us.

He has never left us and He never will. Why do we act like we are alone?

We wait.

We hope.

We anticipate the answers to prayers, the finishing of projects only to learn we must wait some more. We ask ourselves, why? Why must we wait? We see no reason for the delays, but God has a plan. We may not see it, we may never understand here on earth, but someday it won’t matter. Someday the waiting will be over!

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At the start of 2021, I set some goals. Did I reach them?

• Host Read Another Page’s 4th Reading Challenge √ I did and it was fun.
• Read 1 non-fiction book a month √ I’m going to say I did even though I didn’t actually read any non-fiction books in December but one month I read 6.
• Finish writing Lawrence & Lenexa . . . Nope. Once again this book has not been completed. I did work on it a little, but I’m afraid I’m not even close to being done.
• Work on another Woodbreak book √ Yes! I wrote and published Phil Wood
• Publish a new Christmas Collection book √√ I actually published two new ones this year.
• Host Five Fall Favorites √ Yep, I did that.
• Participate in several writing camps at KDWC √√√√√ There were 5 writing camps this year. Three month long ones and two mini camps.

Only one thing not finished in my goals. I think that’s pretty good.

What other things did I do this year?

• Wrote a story for A Very Bookish 4th of July collection. (I’m planning on publishing it myself next year.)
• Gutted and remodeled two major rooms in the house.
• Starting plans for a secret book project. (Nope, I’m not telling what.)
• Published my first hardcover book Christmas Day Joyous, a collection of the first 12 Christmas Collection stories.
• Worked 3 elections (this was supposed to be an off year with NO elections!)
• Participated in and completed the 100-for-100 writing challenge (only I didn’t work on just one project).

My writing is a little lopsided.

• January – 16,648
• February – 26,319
• March – 36,162
• April – 16,061
• May – 6,022
• June – 13,430
• July – 18,530
• August – 5,357
• September – 6,062
• October – 297
• November – 2,129
• December – 2,800 (so far)

Total words written: 149,817

This was not a great year for writing. I wrote more than I did in 2018, but that’s not saying much. I’m really hoping next year will be better.

Anyway, that’s a look at my year. Was it what I thought it would be? Not at all! Was it a bad year? No. It was just very different and yes, there were hard and difficult days, but there have been some really good days too.

How was your year? Did things go as you planned this year or did you find unexpected curves and hills? Leave me a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear.