Onward to 2021

 

Currents of emotion broadened my palette the minute the time square ball reached to the top of 2021.

You can never be too sure if destiny will allow you to collide with a future date because tomorrow is not promised. Looking back over 2020 has given me reason to pay attention to that truth. To be experiencing 2021 firsthand is truly a blessing.

If I was in need of a ray of light to burst in me hope, it was amplifying my voice to sing “Auld Lang Syne” that night, as I cheered to the moving image of confetti and kissing couples celebrating at that Rocking New Year’s party rolling across my television screen.

I knew that I would be obliged to find my cadence for this new set of 365. To know of the life altering events that wreaked havoc over the stretch of the past year, embracing the uncertainties of the new one still fresh with the grizzly wounds of circumstance, makes me know that I need to continue to hold on my faith in God’s miraculous provision over my life.

If I made any resolution at all, it is devoting my life to muddling along with every spurt of energy that it takes to tackle each moment. No need to mutter under my breath about how much I hate wearing the mask on my face or being unable to indulge in my routinized lifestyle of being out and about. I admit that I am struggling with the swift currents of these new ways of life. I am craving for the moments when I can get all dapper and polished again to thrust back into the way things used to be when the quarantine and the pandemic weren’t a part of our everyday vocabulary and my world was stuffed with activities. But until then, all I can do is express my appreciation for the mere fact that I am still here in the land of the living.

I’m still muddling along. 2020 was not all lost. I teamed up with the cheery and loquacious bassist, John Mueller, who helped to stitch me back together like patchwork with his happy talk and musical ideas that caused positive thoughts to ferment in my brain. We may have been under lock and key in our pandemic prison cells, but the time spent became valuable hours lumped together to come up with a cohesive set of songs that later became our collaborative album, The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project. 

I also found time to dig into books that I had been 

dying to read and also ones meant to leverage my 

strengths of honing my crafts and enlarging my 

territory; not to mention the binge watching of the 

many television shows that strew across my screen 

watching me most of the time.  

If it was never as evident before, 2020 cultivated an image that God is bigger than all our problems and that even in despairing circumstances, he still provides reassurance that is far beyond my comprehension. If 2020 is significant to perfect vision, it gave me the clarity to see what is important in 2021.

Appreciation is the most important thing. Sharing love is not something you have to bend over backwards to do. Not every tremor that is hurled into your life by a foolish skeptic, is a reason to spark another fight. If you have a dull longing to do something, make the strategic decision to do it or you might one day be riddled with regret, especially since tomorrow is not guaranteed. Appreciate God’s masterpieces of good moments and don’t let those times slip you by without acknowledging them. Love your family, friends and loved ones with heart and mind because they can be here today and gone tomorrow. And finally, keep hold to the love of God because from crisis to crisis, he makes it easier to deal with it all.

If you are interested in hearing the pandemic album that John Mueller & I created, you can check out The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project on Youtube here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mOpEdeTJ5N9SawA-9FxqwQtt_SR8nty8Q

I pray that your 2021 is filled with fascinating moments and comes with floods of wonderful blessings to fill your cup to the brim.

"In My Quietude..." by Stephanie Jeannot

April is National Poetry Month. It is a month dedicated to celebrating the art of the many poets and poetesses in the world. 

My first experiences writing came in the form of poetic verse. I love to write and during this world crisis and in my quietude, I have found ample time to put my pen to paper and to just let my thoughts flow. 

I am sad that I have not been able to place my 2020 American Poets' Society National Poetry Month Poster on the wall of my classroom this year but I am happy to put some of my own poetry on to the wall of this blog and I hope that you will take the time to read it. This poem is entitled "In my Quietude"

In My Quietude

In my quietude

I have spent a good deal of time 

inside lately

The coronavirus has been 

attacking our livelihood lately

But I don’t take 

my blessings for granted

I still acknowledge and steward 

over each day that I am handed

Surely this COVID 19 

has shifted my thinking

I’m bombarded with so much news of it 

that has left me crippled broken

In my quietude, I wonder

How many can handle 

all this darkness with ease?

How can I truly operate 

through all of this in victory?

I don’t want to accept the idea 

that this is a losing battle.

This pandemic contagion has come 

and the earth it has rattled.

In my quietude, I have come to the conclusion that 

These are some of the darkest moments 

I have ever seen.

I’m affected by all the ambulance sirens 

and this shifting economy.

I can definitely say 

that I have been pierced with sorrow.

In the twinkling of an eye, 

I’ve lost so many that I won’t be able to physically embrace tomorrow

I am hoping that these dark times 

won’t sway my viewpoint of faith

I am praying that sooner than later 

this disease will get out of our way

I guess you can say with this quarantine 

I have quiet time dedicated to my thoughts

I am trying to overcome 

the circumstance of the coronavirus that haunts

The beat goes on 

even if I let the doubts of surviving take over

My hurts sting for the world 

as it continues to lose soldiers

In my quietude, I realized that 

I have faced many trials in my life 

but not like 2020

So many good times experienced 

stay frozen in my memory

I only hope to move from the empty cityscapes 

and get back on to non-virtual social track soon

I give credit to all my inspirers 

who keep me from totally being blue

And all the essential workers 

diligently working to save so many lives

And all the prayer warriors praying 

for healing over the world and for better times

_______________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read my poem. I am a poet at heart and also have a few poetry books that you might find interest in reading. Please check them out here: Stephanie Jeannot's Author Page on Amazon