Where to even begin to find the words, and put into perspective a year that will go down as one of the most trying, difficult, eye-opening, and emotional years of our time. January 2020 does not feel that long ago, though when I close my eyes and run through the mental images of this past year, strangely it also feels like a whole lifetime ago. Isn’t that strange.
To think Sylvie had a backyard birthday party with 15 or so friends almost a year ago. It pains me to think about how we will celebrate this year. Or that we were in Mexico, riding in cabs, bargaining with the masses at the marina, or venturing deep into downtown Puerto Vallarta for dinner at the Iguana. Then came March, and everyone’s life in the entire world changed over night. Mask up, stay home, be safe.
Despite all the struggles, I can’t help but look back and be proud, especially for my kids and how well they’ve kept it together through perseverance and a positive attitude, making the best of each day, mostly smiles and a lot of good laughs. There of course have been highs and lows, but to see them bob-and-weave with each day, touches my heart in a way only a father could feel for his children.
The year started off on a high, returning from Mexico with a sense of rejuvenation. I was lucky to get to visit Madison, WI to see a college buddy celebrate his 40th birthday. Then everything changed a few weeks later on Thursday, March 12 when the stay at home order was initiated. I remember it was raining super hard and I had to drive to Santa Monica for a meeting. From that point forward, bedrooms became classrooms, homes became offices, backyards and patios became home gymnasiums and playgrounds, and ZOOM was introduced to the world. When we were finally able to leave home, we added a mask to our essentials of keys, wallet, and phone.
We waited our turn to enter grocery stores, hand sanitizer and toilet paper were and still are hot commodities. Estella practiced her heart out and learned to ride her bike, we baked, we made Legos, discovered Roblox, and gratefully were able to see friends from a distance. We learned to ride skateboards, turned our backyard into a tennis court, took online photography courses, virtually attended Shabbat Services and family celebrations. We watched as the Kester Yard was slowly overtaken by weeds, made a trip to see the great Pacific, and as the summer came and went, we were fortunate to also make it to Torrey Pines and Palm Springs, but pulled the plug on our Thanksgiving trip.
Joe Biden became our President elect, Kobe Bryant, his daughter and others were killed in helicopter accident, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were brutally murdered, Black Lives Matter became the movement of the century, Harry and Meghan got out of dodge, Harvey went to jail, Beirut explosions, West Coast Wildfires, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Eddie Van Halen, Chadwick Boseman passed, and now we are finally turning that corner where there is a vaccine to combat Covid-19. More importantly, we cannot forget the front line and health care workers who risk their lives day in a day out. God speed. A million blessings to each of them.
Though these pictures below, cultivate a certain experience, for me, what binds them all together is a sense of hope, humility and love. We continually founds way to be the heroes of our own stories, not just dig ourselves into a hole and hope for the best, but to have agency and continue to push our lives forward, emotionally, physically, and mentally. I hope our world will forever be changed for the better, that we will communicate more clearly and openly, that we will learn to be better listeners, tell friends and family we love them over and over again. Here is to 2021, a better year. Onward.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, January 2, 2020
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, January 2, 2020
Estella, Los Angeles, CA, March 25, 2020
Sylvie & Estella, Los Angeles, CA, May 3, 2020
Sheryl, Alexa, Amanda & Sylvie, Los Angeles, CA, April 25, 2020
Fuentes & Calof Ladies, Sherman Oaks, CA, April 11, 2020
Sylvie, Los Angeles, CA, June 24, 2020
Above: Leica Workshop, Los Angeles, CA, May 5, 2020
Below: First Day of School, Los Angeles, CA, August 20, 2020
Blake, Los Angeles, CA, October 31, 2020.
Above: Temple Israel Virtual Shabbat, Los Angeles, CA, June 5, 2020
Below L to R: Estella & Sylvie, Los Angeles, CA, April 15, 2020; Sylvie & Estella, Palm Springs, CA, September 27, 2020; Easter, Los Angeles, CA, April 12, 2020; Estella & Sylvie, Torrey Pines, CA, August 8, 2020
Above: Kester Elementary, Los Angeles, CA, April 25, 2020
Below L to R: Matthew, Los Angeles, CA, August 22, 2020; Blake, Los Angeles, CA, November 29, 2020
Above: Amanda, Los Angeles, CA, April 15, 2020
Below L to R: Kester Elementary, Los Angeles, CA, March 25, 2020; Passover Candles, Los Angeles, CA, April 9, 2020
Seder Plate, Los Angeles, CA, April 9, 2020
Jenny & Will, Los Angeles, CA, July 2020
Above: Quarantine, Los Angeles, CA, April 4, 2020
Below L to R: Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, CA, May 16, 2020; Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica, CA, May 16, 2020
Estella, West Hollywood, CA, June 7, 2020