2021 Message To My Sons: Keep Showing Up
Written by Jason DaWayne Smith
Hi Boys
It’s December 31, 2020. The last day of an interesting year for both of you guys. 2020 isn’t some magical pandemic timeframe, so there’s no sense in “celebrating” a “New Year” - but there is PLENTY of reason to celebrate you both.
In the last 9 months or so, you’ve experienced a lot -yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You witnessed men and women that look just like you - experience pain, suffering, and death - by the same people intended to protect them from harm, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You learned that your lives are deemed less valuable by many in this country, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You discovered the real meaning of “loneliness”, isolation”, and “sadness”, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You celebrated your birthdays, mommy’s birthday, daddy’s birthday - with none of your friends, no big parties, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
On some days you watched daddy sit on a computer for nearly an entire day, leaving little attention for you, your needs or wants, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You saw your uncle and next door neighbor die way too soon because of this pandemic, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You awoke to the word, “unemployment” as people you love and care for became known by this identity - by no fault of their own, yet YOU KEEP SHOWING UP
You figured out how to learn on a computer. How to raise your hand by clicking a button. How to submit your classwork via a “web portal”. You experienced frustration, sadness, tears, anxiety because of it, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You managed to keep your face masks on and keep a social distance from your Nana, your best friends, your aunts, your neighbors with only a small bit of tears on most days, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You developed a new appreciation for each other and renewed sense of creativity even when mommy and daddy didn’t have it in them. Once again, you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You met workers who delivered anything your little hearts could desire - right to your doorstep! Workers that helped you find the “toy section”, or “the tool section”, or “the produce section”, and many other things at stores around the city, while mommy and daddy had the luxury of working from home.
You came to value a visit to the supermarket as a “family activity” when your favorite zoos, museums, playgrounds were closed, yet you KEEP SHOWING UP…
You saw a woman that really does look like many of your aunts become the Vice President of the United States because she KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw a vaccine for COVID-19 come to be, because scientists KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw NBA players make social justice statements on their jerseys, live for months away from their family, yet bring you some form of entertainment because they KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw your favorite neighborhood restaurant serve you the meals you love because they KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw Santa at Soldier Field because workers, business people, and more KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw your teachers come to school, virtually, with excitement and enthusiasm, even when it was hard…they KEPT SHOWING UP…
You saw mommy and daddy help you with school work, build legos, read with you, hold you when you cried - in between conference calls because we KEPT SHOWING UP…
Sons, I know this year has been hard, but your resilience, your creativity, your focus, your love, your joy, your unbreakable spirit is something I don’t think I would have ever witnessed had this pandemic not come into our world. You’ve become an even sharper iron, harder steel, brighter diamonds, and tougher leather. And YOU DID IT. YOU DID THIS BOYS! You stepped up! You SHOWED UP EVERY DAY and came to win. Yes there were some down days, but never enough to steal your joy and love.
My message to you in this new year…pandemic or no pandemic…life will be hard. Especially for you. You will have to overcome things a helluva lot harder than a virus. But know that you’re capable of ANYTHING, really. Your’re smart, you’re strong, you’re brave, you love your family, and you love yourself - and there ain’t nothing that can take that away from you, especially if YOU KEEP SHOWING UP…every day. Put your hat on, put your armor on, and don’t back down. Why?…
Because you won this year sons - YOU are my inspiration, to KEEP SHOWING UP…for you.
