The year that has been unlike any other year in modern times is coming to a close. Finally.
While everyone probably will be glad to have the year 2020 behind them, not everything in 2020 has been bad.
Don’t get me wrong. This year has been filled with lots of bad things. From the physical and mental health problems caused by the pandemic and the shutdowns…to the stress and anger caused by the politics and the division.
Everyone has been under strain. Some have lost jobs and businesses. Others have lost relationships. And many have suffered the loss of life and loved ones.
While it has been a year to want to forget, there are some good things to remember. The pause the pandemic put on our lives has caused us to pause to look at all the things we took for granted and all the things that are really important.
While it clearly has been a year of coping, it also has been year of hoping.
For instance, NBC News spoke with people in five countries about where they found glimmers of hope during this year of the pandemic. They found that simple actions like paying it forward in a drive through take out line or acts of kindness that improved the lives of others brought hope.
So as 2020 comes to an end, a New Year’s resolution we all could make this year is to keep that spirit of hope alive. And hope and pray that all the things we learned this year will help us be better people in the new year.
NEW YORK, NY - Wall Street stands empty as the coronavirus keeps financial markets and businesses mostly closed on May 8, 2020 in New York City. The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday that the US economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April. This is the largest decline in jobs since the government began tracking the data in 1939. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)