As if God is playing a joke on us... 2020 is the year we look back and it's the exact year where we don't want to say "hindsight is 20/20." A year we wish to never relive for the rest of our life time, or the life times of forever more. Any normal year... I would say that 2020 is an election year... an Olympics year. The start of a new year... the beginning of a new decade. A year of canceling, a year where Black Lives Matter (All Lives Matter). A year of record breaking election turnout. A year of untimely deaths. A year where we truly felt the Wrath of God. Like any "Year in Review" and "Looking back..." posts... I start by reading my own blog and news outlets' year in Reviews.
2020 kicked off with the "Wuhan Virus" when so many people initially wrote it off as "just another flu." I still remember that one Prayer Meeting where PAL was fearful of going back to Hong Kong for his Dad's funeral. It led to some of our friends arguing amongst their marriages about over worrying and that the CDC will take care of it. I even reprimanded PAL by saying, "
草木皆兵" when he asked about CNY. It was the year where we had a ton of infighting at work... but eventually capitulating when, ironically, it was the cancelling of March Madness, where reality finally set in.
2020 was the year where Black Lives Mattered... to a point where the Washington Football Team and the Cleveland Baseball Team finally chose to rename their sports franchises - something I never expected to see in my lifetime. It was a year of political [mis-]handling: DACA, trade with China, government firings, an impeachment that was never going to happen, deaths of John Lewis and RBG and ultimately the election. A year where my worst sports nightmare all happened... when the Lakers and Dodgers both claimed their respective championships. A year marred by natural disasters through hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes... and was spiked out when the Bay Area skies rang orange for 3 full days. 2020...was truly a year we'd love to forget, but is a year we'll forever remember.
To continue the tradition... here are my top (and bottom) moments of 2020. And with so much happening this year... here are my top 11.... in reverse order.
11) Funerals Galore - The new reality is setting in. We had the wedding phase. Then the newborn phase. Countless birthday parties. We're now approaching the funeral phase. Frankie's dad. 凌太. Carlo. Seth's dad. 阿婆. 大舅父. And for all those who died from the coronavirus or a cop shooting. RIP.
10)
Paul's Life and Letters - 1.5 years of studying the Letters of Paul, including Acts. This revealed to me a whole new dimension of the bible, of God, and it brought me ohhhhh so much closer to my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. (SC, KK, GN, ML). "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" ~2 Tim 4:7
9) Super Bowl LIV - that forgetful Sunday night when I drove around 280 and 85 for 3 numbing hours. And it all came down to 3rd and 15. FUCK!!!!!!!
8) Dinner with Dad - back in January where I went out to SF to celebrate Dad's bday, originally at HOPR, but eventually at Harris. An unforgettable night of sharing and fine dining. The moment that tops this evening is when dad shared, from the bottom of his heart, how he truly was scarred as a child and started to weep. I tried (and failed) to give my dad a hug that he so desperately needs.
7)
Presidential Election - The night of November 3rd will live in infamy where we watched, state by state, the color turning red. But the analyst kept on insisting that the votes have not all been counted and it's still too early to call. The days and nights that followed where we kept watching and hoping. The day, when the states fully declared that Biden is now the president. And to this day... that @$$hole is still not conceding. No matter how good (or bad) these 4 years have been... I firmly believe... the next 4 years will be better.
6) Friday the 13th - that fateful day when we received an email from Heritage that they were going to shutdown school for the foreseeable future. The day that resulted in spreeing to Lunardi's to get whatever was left of the meat at the deli. The day that ignited dining table Ping Pong, garage HIIT, reestablishing the Leung Family Altar, revitalizing badminton, creating the Leung's Garden, and allowing the family to polish off Series after Series like Perfect Strangers, Full House, Fuller House, Crash Landing on You, Prince of Tennis, 回到三國 and 使徒行者.
5) Let it rip!!!- after months and months of deliberating, we finally bought SW Minecraft. And it opened so many doors for him and his friends. Not to mention that countless times we had Pokemon tournaments, Beyblades tournaments, Super Smash tournaments. But none which comes close to Siu Wah and me going on that 3 hour car ride where he famously says "Before Google Hangout...those were the good old days."
4) Coming of Age - With the onset of puberty and Crimson Tide. I can't neglect those initial days of Shelter in Place where there were countless shouting matches between Mommy and Nui-Nui. And the days where we prepped for her admission to TKA. Or the days where she would just hide in her room... Hanging Out with her friends. None could top those moments... where I ran along side by her... and she was about to give up.... I reached out to grab her hand, hoping to provide one last ounce of energy. And at the end... choosing to let go to let her sprint to her finish line.
3) Apocalyptic Shopping - the one night, before SIP was officially announced, Joyce and I dropped the kids of at Awana and we made a run at Costco and Smart & Final. We bump into a dad who was getting diapers...he looked at our cart and smiled, "Apocalyptic Shopping, eh??" The coming months... where we were able to walk side by side through this apocalypse together. Who else would I want by my side?
2) Mom's adventures back to HK - "This is the bed bug thing, all over again" said Big Bro. When we found out that 大舅父 was on his last breath... we did everything in our power to ensure she was able to see him one last time. The plane ticket. The hotel. The 3 day COVID tests. It was all worth it...the day she sent a pic of her, Maria and 大舅父 at Wah Fu. There are some things you can take for granted. But 親情 can never be replaced.
1) Dad accepting Christ - that fateful day when I got a text from PAL....
Your dad accepted Christ today. I led him through repentance prayer. He followed the prayer word for word!
And if it took a pandemic for all that to happen.... keep it coming...? Maybe...?
