2020… Bye Felicia

This year handed out disappointments and setbacks right and left. It all started in January when our water heater went out. Cold showers are not an option for my wimpy body, so we had to have it replaced immediately. This was not in our budget, so we used our recently paid off Home Depot credit card. Sigh. To save money, my hard-working hubby looked up YouTube videos and replaced the water heater in record time. While we hated incurring the expense, we were grateful that we had an empty credit card to handle the purchase.

A few days later, Karly, our dog, began whimpering and squealing in pain. Her back was arched when she stood and her tail was tucked between her back legs. We couldn’t see any reason for her pain. Upon taking her to the vet, we find that she threw out her neck much like a person would throw out his back. We were also told that she had arthritis in her little body. She was put on a couple of medications to help her mend. The veterinarian recommended that we don’t let her jump anymore. We bought steps to help her get up and down off the couch. She had to be re-trained not to jump off our bed. She eventually healed and adapted. It was a learning curve for all of us, but it meant more precious cuddles with her since she was more dependent on us.

March came and mixed things up. I said good-bye to my students for Spring Break and headed out the door leaving all work behind. During that week, our school district informed us that we would not return after Spring Break and we would teach virtually. I had zero teaching items at my house and was not allowed into the school building. Luckily, I have experience teaching virtually through VIPKID and had a few tricks up my sleeve. The task was daunting and many students simply chose to not participate. The closure of our school building was extended through the end of the school year. So many things were left up in the air. I was left feeling incomplete. This closure gave us a glimpse of how remote learning should look and how we needed to improve. Educators in the district were given training and I was proclaimed Remote Ready before the next school year began.

While I was home and teaching remotely, our pet cat had some health issues. She had a sore on her belly that she licked constantly. It had gotten infected and resembled a gunshot wound. It was an actual hole in her stomach. We took her to the vet to find she had cancer and a cyst. After much consideration, we opted to remove the mass through surgery. We left her at the vet on a Sunday evening with surgery scheduled for Monday. We were to pick her up on Tuesday. While she was at the vet, Karly, our dog, began to exhibit odd behavior and seemed to be sickly. When we picked up our cat that Tuesday, we dropped off our dog to get checked out. Due to COVID procedures, we were not permitted to enter the vet’s office. I hated not being with either of our animals as they were carried off to be poked and prodded. As our unfortunate luck would have it, my dog had cancer as well and had to have her uterus removed along with a tumor on her stomach. We gave the cat a fighting chance, so we wanted to give the dog the same chance to fight off cancer. Vet bills are not something we generally budget for and this was way more than we would have budgeted for anyway. I had a Care Credit account that I had used for some dental work and had paid off just a few months before. We had to up the credit limit to afford both surgeries, but we were able to pay for both. We took them home with cones on their heads and had to keep both kenneled. Luckily, I was home to care for both of them since I was teaching remotely.

Also in March, my son’s college let them out one week before their scheduled Spring Break and then later decided to not let them return. Suddenly, all his classes were online. However, the college did a poor job of making the transition. Only one of his classes met once a week via Zoom, a virtual meeting place. The other professors instructed the students to follow the syllabus and provided office hours. I simply didn’t understand the thought process behind this type of teaching. While he handled it all like a champ, I felt truly blessed to have bonus time with him. While COVID shut down all the fun places he liked to go, he spent his time at home. My mom heart was happy.

While my son was home, he discovered a puppy under his car one dreary, rainy day. We took the pup in and posted her face on social media including forums for lost animals and shelters. We checked for a microchip, but one was not detected. We kept an eye out for fliers and any sign someone was looking for the sweet-natured pup. After two weeks of fostering her, my daughter took her in. Korbin, our new family member, came to my daughter at a critical time when she truly needed her. This sweet girl hit the jackpot with my daughter as her new mommy. Korbin is a blessing to our family and was only found because my son was on an extended Spring Break due to COVID.

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My daughter took Korbin to live with her in Kansas while she waited for her college graduation. She worked extremely hard in her studies and finished in 3 1/2 years and would graduate with honors. May comes and we hear that there will be no graduation. Caps and gowns are not distributed. No plans for graduation were being made. What do we do? We pack up and head to Kansas on her non-graduation weekend with her high school cap and gown and few borrowed ones. Luckily, the gowns were the same color the college was using. We took her and her roommates out for a grad photoshoot. We had a blast finding spots all over campus. The best was when we hit the soccer field and they took pictures with alumni shirts. We catered dinner that night and brought in a cake. We celebrated the young ladies and a few friends. We loved every minute of spending time with them and loving them on a weekend they dreamed of walking the stage and being honored for their hard work.

June arrives and we have a full house with both college kids home plus the new pup. Being in Texas, it is HOT in June. Our AC system went on the fritz. We were told the year prior that it had a freon leak and had to have more put in. We called our AC guy and did the same this time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the problem. A week later, it completely stops blowing cold air. We had to replace the whole unit. Ugh! That was a pretty penny, but God provided us a way to pay for it.

One late July night, I am awakened from a deep slumber to find that my son has been in a car accident. He and the passengers were fine, but his car was not. He was in a poorly lit construction zone. I am still unsure of all the details, but he hopped a curb, sideswiped a light pole, and hit a street sign. The police officers that came on the scene told my husband that they could have been having a different conversation if the car had hit the pole in a few inches in a different spot. How scary and what a blessing that everyone walked away. My son had to be back to school in mid-August, so we were on the hunt for a cash car.

We noticed at the beginning of July that our cat, Karsyn, was sick again. Her cancer had returned. Towards the end of July, she passed. We grieved for the sweet kitty. She came to us as a kitten about 13 years ago. She was very much family.

August arrived and we were hopeful that college and my school would run as normal. My son drove back to school in his new-to- him Santa Fe. His classes would be more of a hybrid model. The soccer program would be a bit different as well. They extended the season and only had one game scheduled a week. The college put in many procedures to keep the students safe.

My school district decided to open and have students return to school, but offer parents the choice to have their child learn remotely or in person. This left many teachers upset. Some did not want to go in person in fear of getting the virus. Others welcomed the idea of some sort of normalcy for the students and were ready to get back to the classroom. I wanted to go back. I wanted to be with my students. I teach students with learning disabilities, behavior concerns, or ADD/ADHD. I truly believe my students need to be in person if able.

The district provided a disinfectant cleaner and hand sanitizer. They gave some flimsy, plastic shields to put around students’ desks. Most were given to our kindergarten and first-grade teachers because the younger students were not expected to wear a mask while in class. Second graders through fifth-graders were required to wear a mask. Teachers were provided a mask, but it needed to be washed daily. Many teachers went over and beyond to make their classrooms safe on their own dime. Based on the procedures the district and campuses were putting on us, we had no choice. Students were not going to be allowed to share materials or have their materials touch any other’s materials. I purchased pencil pouches for each of my students and the pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, and dry erase markers that went in them. Me, not the school. I had awesome friends that donated book boxes to hold each student’s reading materials. I spent $40 a pop on five dividers for the tables that would allow students to be separated safely while learning. Much more was purchased, but I honestly can’t remember it all. One day before school started, I find out that I am not only teaching in person but will also be teaching remotely to my fourth and fifth-grade students that choose to learn from home. The news sent me into a tailspin. With a caseload of 31 students and a full schedule of in-person classes, how was this to happen? I decided to mix grade levels and modify my lesson plans to make this work. I did make it work, but I was drained. I was putting in 60 hours at school and bringing work home. During lunch one day, I began crying while eating macaroni and cheese. I text my assistant principal and told her that I couldn’t keep up this pace. I needed help. After the first nine weeks. I took a hard look at how and what I was doing. I needed a better way. I made changes that allowed me a little less time on campus after hours. Fortunately, the special education department gave us permission to hire a second teacher for my position. The new teacher starts in January and I will be able to split my caseload. Through this experience, I learned to ask for help and know that my best is all I can give.

In October, we took our dog back to the vet. Karly had been coughing and I felt she had bronchitis. The vet took some x-rays and said the cancer was back. She was put on an antibiotic, but it didn’t help. Karly was a trooper. She didn’t let the coughing keep her down. She was still playful as much as a fifteen-year dog could be.

Thanksgiving was coming and I was truly excited for a break and to be with family. I had a lovely week off from work. My son was home from college. We saw both sides of our family before going back to work. On December 1, at the end of the school day, I felt like the flu had hit. I took my temperature when I got home and it was 100.4 but was rising. I climbed into bed and covered up my chilled body. An hour into this, my dad called to say he tested positive for COVID. Since I had visited with him three days prior, I was worried that I might not have the flu. I tested negative for the flu, but positive for COVID. What a wild ride that was. I have never been sicker. I was laid up in bed for 8 days before going to the ER with chest pains. I had pneumonia. The ER doctor put me on an antibiotic and in a few days, I was feeling better. However, the extreme fatigue was horrible. Every task was interrupted because I needed to rest or catch my breath. I couldn’t believe how tired I was. On day 14 of this virus, I was back to myself with limitations in how much I could walk or do. During this time, my son and mom both had the virus as well.

We had a family vacation planned for after Christmas. We were going to Disney World. Because of my fatigue, we postponed our trip. Canceling the trip for this year left us sad, but it was a blessing in disguise. Karly passed on December 30th early in the morning. My husband sat with her and loved on her until her last breath. That dog has been in our family for fifteen years and was my shadow. I never entered or left a room without her. I feel as if there is a hole in my heart. I think we all feel that right now.

The year 2020 threw us many curveballs, but our God never left our side. He has walked with us through it all. In the moment of many of this year’s events, I couldn’t see clearly. As I am writing, I can see the blessings and provisions He offered. My husband and I were never out of a paycheck. We are healthy and still have a roof over our heads. We have jobs. We have our family. We have hope for 2021.

With all that went on this year, in my household, I had many laughs, fun with friends, and family time. My passion for teaching hasn’t changed, but the way I teach has. I learned to lean on those in my circle and not be afraid to ask for help. This year exposed my weakness in my walk with God. While I have a relationship with Him, I am lacking in my commitment to be in His word. I plan on growing in this area.

I know that others have experienced rougher times than we have. Some may feel hopeless. If you need prayer or know someone that needs prayer, please leave a comment. We need to pray for one another. We need to instill hope in others. We need to lean on God.

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