Let’s just start this off with a question. Why is 2020 so ruthless? We were nothing but good to 2020. We were respectful and excited for our future with 2020. We welcomed 2020 with open arms and hearts. Then 2020 turned on us like a spiteful ex.

2020 has now been around for three full months and I’ve been battling that mf ever since.

It all started in January. I had just sat down for a meeting at work and my phone started ringing. It was my husband. Now, we work for the same company so if he needed anything from me he’d either instant message or text me.

Since my meeting hadn’t officially started, I answered. “Hello.”

“I need you to come to 14. I think I’m having a stroke.”

Quick exit left and I ran to him on legs just as shaky as his voice. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and I prayed the entire way there, pleading with God to also not take my husband. Because Lord knows, I could not take another unexpected death.

Thankfully, after spending a night in the hospital for monitoring, he was cleared and released; he hadn’t had a stroke. He just needed to take better care of himself.

But shortly after that, my grandmother did have a stroke, and she died. Her death wasn’t a shock to me, as my Reno had been preparing me for that moment since I met her in 2007. She consistently told me she wouldn’t be around much longer and that she was ready to go Home. Still, it was obviously a sad moment.

Reno was a special woman that accepted me into the Bishop family the moment I called saying, “Hi, my name is Cori and I think I’m your granddaughter.”

From there, we met, she introduced me to the other side of my family, I introduced her to my family, and she never stopped telling me how thankful she was that I found her. Sometimes I listen to her old voicemails just for a chuckle. Most of them started with, “Cori, this is your grandmother Reno from Paris, Kentucky.” As if I would ever forget lol.

You can listen to one of her sweet voicemails below.

Not long after we arrived home after attending her memorial, I was logging onto YouTube and a video of Wuhan was on the main page. I remember asking Lamar if he’d heard about the virus over there. He had. I never thought that it would reach this magnitude and we would be quarantined due to COVID-19. Honestly, did any of us?

Monday of this week marked the 6th week of self isolation for my family and I. Six long weeks of watching snow fall, sun shine, grass grow, and rain pour.

Speaking of rain, that brings me to my next WTF Moment of 2020.

A thunderstorm rolled through the area one night, overwhelmed the sewers, and our basement flooded. It didn’t flood bad, if there is such a thing as a flood that’s not bad, but it flooded. We flew into action at 3 in the morning to save items, call insurance companies and get the water remediation crew out to prevent mold growth.

While we were blessed to have minimal water damage, the flood did kill our furnace. And oh yeah, our refrigerator bit the dust days later. Not from the flood, but still. Thankfully, we were able to replace our fridge but we still don’t have heat……and it’s snowing outside. It’s been a long, cold week but our new furnace will be here soon.

All in all, I am still so very grateful for these times. Yes, it’s been negative news after negative news for us and many of our loved ones, but is it during these times (minus that damn virus) that I keep in mind how blessed we are.

That’s not to say that I’m oblivious to what’s going on outside. Friends and family members have lost jobs and lives. People put their health at risk every day delivering groceries and taking care of others. But ultimately, Lamar and I both have jobs that allow us to work from home, we are not hungry, our kids are home, and we have been able to limit our time outside of the house in order to shelter effectively.

My perspective on life has drastically changed for the better, hopefully permanently. Now, I’m finding the joy in not being busy. The joy in not overworking myself. The joy in spending more quality time with my family. The joy in rediscovering what I actually enjoy doing. The joy in car ride dates with my husband.

I’m choosing to focus on what’s good. Similar to how I began this post with a question, I’m now turning this question to you.

What’s really good???