“I prayed and had to remind myself that I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM.”
Something For Sunday
By David Huff
The year that was? What does that mean? For me, I tend to operate on a fiscal year and not a calendar year. Mainly because my career has always focused on FY. For this article, the focus will be FY 20/21.
July 2020. Covid was strongly making its rounds around the globe and my children were entering the first Covid summer. At this point, there was a lot of uncertainty. Will the kids go back to in-person learning, will I be laid off from my job, will my family and friends test positive from Covid, will there be an apocalypse in the coming months?
My wife and I didn’t know what to expect and truthfully, as a father and provider, I was nervous, to say the least. Summer was just beginning to ramp up, but because of the closures and social distancing, we had to get creative in how we managed our time and did things as a family.
One thing I do believe is that though we may not understand it, God is fully in control. To paint the picture, let us go back six years or so.
December 2015, I began to work for a new government agency after spending 10 years with my previous employers. I would see my children throughout the day occasionally. Once I began working with my new employer, my commute went from 10 to 45 minutes. And from roughly January 2017 through April 2020, I missed out on a lot of quality family time because I left for work before my children woke for school.
When I returned home from work, they already had dinner and we spent about an hour together before it was time for bed. During these three years, I missed several school events, doctor appointments, all the ultrasounds of my youngest, and school drop-offs and pickups.
My primary career is in the area of Parks and Recreation and Covid put a damper on this career field. Unfortunately in April 2020, programs were frozen, employees were laid off and things just weren’t looking good. Three years prior, I faced much adversity from 2017–2020. For two years my prayer was that God would remove me from my work environment and bless me with a job where I’m closer to home, one with higher pay, and one that brings me peace.
Often during those two years, I prayed and had to remind myself that I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM. Despite the many trials, I knew I was a child of God and that I belong to God. In May of 2020, I was transferred to another department due to the Recreation services being temporarily suspended because of Covid and the shutdown. During this transfer is when the blessing began. This reassignment was challenging, but I was blessed with the opportunity to work from home, receive higher pay, work in a peaceful environment, and see my kids wake every morning and be there for them when they returned from school.
Just like many other parents, there were a lot of questions as the 20/21 school year was scheduled to launch. Though my wife is a stay-at-home queen, the virtual learning and trying to keep a toddler from interrupting his sister during school time was a challenge. Though this season was temporary, it was tough on the kids and my wife. Because our daughters were unable to engage with other classmates, my wife and I were intentional about our time spent and we made the best of every opportunity with them. Plenty of things we would not have been able to do had they attended in-person learning like Monday beach trips and spontaneous weekend getaways, we were able to do with virtual learning. As parents, our focus was to make our daughters comfortable at home and that was done with prayer, affirmations, encouragement, and playtime.
Of course, FY 20/21 was a complete blur and was gifted to us as the year that was granted. Many families faced devastation. Many lost jobs and lives. Many ran out of food and had no shelter. Just like many other families, we were granted peace, security, and opportunity. You can also refer to FY 20/21 as the “In Hindsight” year. In hindsight, we were rewarded with time. Time that was granted back allowing me to see my children awake for school. Time that was granted back allowing me to step away from my work and play with my kids outside. Time that was granted back allowing me to have lunch with my family. Time that was granted back that allowed me to play with them before dinner. Time that allowed me to check their schoolwork while they still had the energy to understand what was being corrected. Time that allowed me to talk to my wife mid-day. And most importantly, Time that allowed us to be a family despite the many trials.
So as I sit here and reflect present-day, I must say FY 20/21 was pretty amazing. So my question to you is, in hindsight, how was your year?
