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An Introspective look at 2020 in Retrospect

Writer's picture: JannaJanna

Updated: Jan 14, 2021



Ahhh 2020! What a year! I laugh because for so many it was a “Good Riddance” moment as we stepped into 2021. Yet, for me personally, 2020 was a year that truly blew my mind! Dare I say, in the best of ways and the worst. I look back and am forever grateful for the lessons learned and for the strides made to stepping into dreams that God had placed in me long ago. Dreams, that quite truthfully, I thought were dead and buried...or well...starting to get buried.

As I began this year I was looking through the notes on my phone and came across something I wrote (and NEVER PUBLISHED) at the very beginning of last year....I look back at the timing of things and laugh. Yet, marvel at the truths in this post...so here it is...Get cozy...this one is a bit longer than usual 🤪. (In bold below I’ve interjected my current thoughts with the original.)

2020 - Stepping into the New (this was my title btw😂 and boy did we step into the uncharted for sure!)


Hi family! It’s been a good long while since we’ve produced a proper blog post! (part of the matter was...I hated the look of our old blog, and dreaded the thought of having to figure out how to change it! The backend stuff was a struggle and at the end of 2019 I really considered giving up for good! I truly questioned “why on earth do I want to blog/write/create...do people even read blogs anymore?” I told God he would literally have to have someone approach me to help re-design the site...well here we are and that was a 2020 God blew my mind kind of a moment! Thank you Anthony and Cloud for being the catalyst and answer to prayer in designing such a beautiful site that rekindled my passion to create. Grateful for you both and that we get to not only be friends but family.

While many factors attributed to this...here we are now! And boy are we excited...at times a bit nervous...because don’t God size dreams make you a bit nervous...yet...still excited!? (They also TAKE TIME...guys...again this was me “writing in faith”😂....cuz I was still not sure how we were going to “relaunch” this was January....we didn’t relaunch until June!!! Almost exactly 6 months later! And don’t forget I also was very much questioning my voice...would what I have to say even add value to 1 person? (*Spoiler* I still at times question!)


Happy New Year and Happy NEW Decade! It’s incredible to think we are in the Year 2020 and quite honestly our expectations are at an all time high...and only because we know full well our Expectations are in Christ! His plans are the best laid ones and His timing is always perfect! We are closer than ever to launching something that has been in the works for quite a few years now…and are very excited to be sharing more about this project in the months to come. (Yeah...again I/we had a ton of ideas...Blog/Shop/YouTube....ect. yet, no actual clue if/when/how they would even come about! There are still things that are in a holding pattern...but, I know the timing will be right when we launch those things too!)


2019 was a year that was full of beyond measure moments. Work, play, volunteering, travel, friendships and everything in between brimmed over the daily aspects of our lives. Highs and Lows...Highlands (literally with an amazing family trip to Scotland) (at some point would love to share the beauty of this trip with you) and heartache (again literally...our beautiful Grammy went to go sing praises and play scrabble with Jesus and our Mama). (Loss of a loved one is never easy, this past year we saw so many people loose loved ones they cared about and truly our hearts go out to you! We too lost our Aunt in 2020 - due to kidney failure- she is no longer in pain as she joined Grammy and Mama in paradise).


If I’m honest…every year I have at least a split second before the clock strikes 12, where I go...gosh...how could this next year be “better and fuller than the last? (I think this may have been the first year where I didn’t 😂 literally no profound thoughts...just an odd sense of peace and gratitude...yeah 2020 really was a teacher of surrender and God‘s timing...yet trust me those lessons are not mastered and I‘ll probably find myself in these classes for the rest of my life!) Will we have fun and adventure? Will we find an ecosystem of work and rest, pouring out into others and still letting God refresh us?”.....(ahhh 2020 I had no idea but a thousand times yes! Beyond grateful for the relationships that have grown and blossomed this past year...and looking forward to more growth in the years to come!) There have also been those years where it’s been...“God this next year has to be better than the last!” (99.9% asked this very question of 2021...it’s okay) Do any of you ask similar questions? (Would love to know..feel free to drop us a comment or an email!)

And while all of these can seem like valid questions and statements....one of the most valueable lessons learned thus far has been about trusting God no matter what the year or season you are going through may look like.

(Now it’s meat and potato time) it’s standing in awe knowing God has the most perfectly laid plans even when we don’t have every part of the memo. Am I a perfect example of a fully trusting daughter? Uh.... NO! Believe me when I say....I can get caught up in the most irrational and nonsensical thoughts...causing me to worry and stress about many things I cannot or am not meant to control. (Yes, 2020 had moments where I was like....uhhhh...well this is stressful...this kinda sucks! I know I will more than likely still have those moments this year and in the years to come...but, then I try to remember to stay mindful and present, recalling the fact that these are just moments.)

Many of us create new “goals” and project for the year ahead...a lot of us also experience disappointment when we haven’t met said goals in the allotted time. Yet again, while this year we’ve set our dreams and expectations high...we also are understanding that...LIFE HAPPENS! Often times UNEXPECTEDLY! (Hello 2020 lockdown/pandemic...blindside of the century.) Sometimes life’s little surprises are absolutely beyond amazing while other times they may seem catastrophic and insurmountable. (please note the word “seem”... you see because as my Aunt always says... “there are always two sides to every story...” With that, I am reminded that it’s God‘s perspective/His side (that sees the big picture) and our perspective/our side (that only sees a small sliver of time and history).

We should strive to want the anthem of our year and our lives to be this-


“ Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who keeps you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t , dear friends, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a fathers delight is behind all this.”

Proverbs 3:5-12 (The Message Translation)


So our aspiration for the year is to take things one step at a time and really truly catch hold and bask in the unforced rhythms of His Grace. (This aspiration only continues into 2021!)

Thank you for reading all of that! Haha...and now my greatest prayer for 2021 is to continue to pursue the things God has started in me. In Us! To not fear what tomorrow may bring and stay mindfully in the present (like last weeks post)...aware that looking to my past should only be a gauge to see how far I’ve come, to use it to learn and grow, that looking to the future is always bright because I have this hope that is an anchor for my soul...my trust is and always will be in Jesus.

My prayer is that you will continue to dream and grow and hope in 2021! That people will come together in kindness and unity. If you don’t know God, my prayer is that you would at least become curious and that God would reveal Himself to you in ways that will make you feel seen and valued. Even if you don’t believe in every word I write...my prayer is that through this blog you will feel loved and have a sense of family and belonging...that you will feel inspired, refreshed and cherished! You might not know this...but, You are Loved!💖


Thanks for being a part of the Family! Grateful for you sticking through this obnoxiously long post! Hahah

Cheers to 2021 no matter what!

X ~ Janna & The Sibs

Jared & Jenneka



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