“A Year of Reflection”

Lana S.

Hmong |Woodbury, MN | she/her/hers | Non-Profit Sector

As I write this, I am sitting next to the water, reflecting on this past year on my last day of being in my 30s. So much happened this past year, and time slowed down. I became still and absorbed all that was happening around me and the community; to incredible loss and grief of personal loved ones as well as the racial reckoning and uprising. 

There has been so much pain and fear. My family and I did whatever we could to cope with the anxiety and help us get through the suffering as we held the uprising in our hearts.

I realize that the most precious thing in the world is time. Time together. I didn’t realize how busy we were as a family until we had to quarantine and be together. This was a gift. We found family games; made a home theater in our basement;  learned new skills; got silly to keep ourselves and our kids entertained, and we kept celebrating birthdays even though we couldn’t share it with as many people as we normally would. We got to be together. There were many days we couldn’t do much but just be, and that was okay. This past year has been one of the hardest, yet one of the most beautiful years of my life because my family and I learned how to survive together. My hope is we’ll all come out of this with different eyes and make this world more beautiful.

Lana S. is a mother of 3, works in non-profit for the elderly and is a co-owner of The Cove restaurant in Minneapolis. She is a plant mom, lover of books, music and all things art. She spends much of her time exploring the outdoors with her kids and husband. 

Check out the short video below of Lana and her family, enjoying one of their favorite family activities during the pandemic.