106. 10 Things We Learned in 2020

<p>My word that I chose for 2020 was SAVOR. Little did I dream how much of my year was going to be able to live that word out so literally!</p> <p>From so much time at home and so many things cancelled, to so much time spent rocking and holding and feeding babies, to so much unexpected family time, this year was the perfect year to choose to savor the gifts right in front of me.</p> <p>Our year looked very different in so many ways — and yes, there was loss and hard things — but I look back and see so much beauty, so much growth, and so much to be grateful for!</p> <p>In this last podcast for 2020, Jesse and I shared 10 Things We Learned in 2020. Here was our list (I know there are more things we could add, but this is what came to mind as we reflected on the year):</p> <ol> <li><strong>God Gives Grace for the Present Not the Future</strong> — If we had known what 2020 would hold, we probably would have felt overwhelmed by it. But, as we learned, God doesn’t give you grace for the future, He gives grace for today.</li> <li><strong>Jesse Can Thrive on Less Sleep Than He Realized</strong> — Jesse has always needed more sleep than me. But this year, he got up every single night with a baby for months on each — and he realized that, when needed, he can thrive on less sleep. (I think it’s also connected to point #1, too!)</li> <li><strong>I Can Have a Baby Without Having Postpartum Depression</strong> — I’ve always struggled with pretty intense PPD and anxiety for months after having a baby. This time around, we approached things very differently and I had almost zero PPD or anxiety! It was amazing!</li> <li><strong>Foster Care is Brutal But Beautiful</strong> — This was one of the most emotionally stretching years we’ve ever walked through. Falling in love and advocating hard for a child only to say goodbye is brutal, but the memories and lessons we learned and how our hearts were forever changed as a family is so beautiful. Plus, we now have a sweet boy AND his mama to love — which is such a gift!</li> <li><strong>T