2020 has ended… A history-making year. A year that for generations, people will speak of as extraordinary.

For most of us it brought varying degrees of hardship, loneliness, loss, anxiety, even despair; yet we learned more in this year than we have perhaps in any other single year of our lives.

We learned that it takes very little effort for us to make a significant difference to another… a sympathetic nod, a greeting during the day, a phone call to offer help, all make a difference.

We learned that we need each other, that relationships really matter.

We learned to rearrange priorities, we experienced the fragility of life and this brought home to us what was really most important.

We learned to be grateful for things we earlier were too busy to notice. We had the time to see the blue skies, and hear the birds, watch the ants and see the shapes of many different leaves.

We learned that for our children, it was most  important for them to see US, and speak to US and have US listen to them to feel secure. 

We learned to pay attention to the small things, and grapple with the larger realities of life.

We learned to do new things… whether it was cooking, housekeeping or learning a language or skill that we never thought we could.

We learned to entertain ourselves at home, and found that the hobbies and interests that we rediscovered could bring pleasure into our lives – often at no extra cost.

We learned to be grateful for what we had, for our work, our families, friends, and more. 

We learned that we were stronger than we thought we were, and that challenges helped us become better. 

As we have stepped over the threshold into a new year… we do so with excitement, with renewed vigor, with greater confidence, and definitely with greater hope. Knowing that we are stronger and more resilient than we were before. And that whatever the new normal brings, we will adapt to that too.

And for those times when you still struggle – and we all do – reach out to our counsellors for that little lift which can keep you going, no matter what the year ahead has in store for you.