My cup runneth over

“My cup runneth over” is a quotation from the Bible that means, “I have more than enough for my needs.”

This has been a very difficult year. COVID has caused food insecurity, job insecurity, loneliness, depression, and it’s tested many marriages. Loved ones have gotten sick and passed away. I am in no way belittling the challenges the pandemic has caused in our everyday lives. We have all suffered in one way or another; some more, some less.

But I want to focus on what these strange times have taught me, and what they have given me. I realize that my cup truly ‘runneth over’.

I have spent more time with my 89-year-old mother than I have in a long time. She insisted on going with me to do her grocery shopping. She insisted she come to my home for Friday night dinners. She insisted that I teach her how to use a computer and play mah jong online. Most of all, she insisted she continue going to her beloved dollar store.

So, I did all of those things with her. I would not leave my mother to be isolated in her twilight years. That was our decision, and I do not judge any choices that anyone else has made. I have spent many days in the past year with my mother, taking her where she wanted to go. We gabbed and gossiped. We talked about her body not working the way it used to. We spent many happy hours together, hours that we never would have had. We have become companions. My cup runneth over.

My daughter, now married, would come with her husband and their COVID puppy. We went for fabulous walks in the nearby ravine. I got to know my adult daughter so well on our walks. We talked and shared our lives. My fabulous son-in-law walked with us at times too. I truly saw the love that they have for each other. Walks are so experiential; you see the honesty in people when you stroll. I don’t know what it is about walking, but my late father taught me a daily constitutional with a cherished friend is the best therapy. My daughter is my best friend. My cup runneth over.

I spent many a day with my youngest daughter. She is an adult too, and I learned this year what a fabulous adult she is. She has a heart of gold. As much as I can be quite irritating at times, and like things my way, she was my playmate and my rock. At the beginning of the pandemic, we did lots of puzzles together. We watched many Netflix series together. We cooked together. Well, mostly she cooked, and I ate. She worked hard and received her degree in holistic nutrition this year. Quite an accomplishment. Therefore, I was eating very healthily, except when she wasn’t around. I’ve really gotten to know my daughter. My cup runneth over.

As for my husband, he is a fabulous and remarkable man. This was not an easy year for him. But he managed it with strength and grace. I will admit he did languish. But we languished together. And there is no one else in this world that I would rather languish with. My cup runneth over.

As for my friends, I love them. We discovered Toronto together. We walked in ravines that we never knew existed. We shared things we have never shared before. Metaphorically, we have held each other’s hands and helped navigate this year with each other. My cup runneth over.

This has been a year we never could have possibly dreamed of. I promise you; I do not want this to ever happen again, but in spite of the duress, my cup runneth over, and I hope yours does as well.