Amid so much that was bad, so many lives lost and also so much life—graduations missed and readings and concerts cancelled, careers stalled, businesses shuttered—there was, nevertheless this year much to rejoice. As the poet G.M. Hopkins says, despite it all “there lives the dearest freshness deep down [in] things,” and I’ve found that to be so. This was, no contest, one of the worst years of my life (I know I am not alone in this) but curiously, when I lay it out here for the purposes of remembering all that happened during it, somehow—can I even say it?—one of, undoubtedly one of the best. Here are some highlights.
Work
This year, The Elegy Beta was published. It’s the best work I’ve ever done; I loved working with the production crew, I love the cover, the forward by Rilke scholar Mark S. Burrows, love the font they chose. This thing just kills. If nothing else had happened during the year, this would still be a memorable one for me, if only for this. It has been reviewed so far in EcoTheo, Rain Taxi, TS Poetry, and North American Anglican. And then, at year’s end, book ended up on best-of lists by writers I admire Aarik Danielsen, Brett McCracken, and Jessica Hooten Wilson. In addition to the book, I published 3 essays (including my Christmas one), 2 poems, 1 translation, and 1 book review.
Professionally, it was a year of big news too. Most amazingly, I was promoted to tenure-track in the English department at SPU. I taught my first college-level class in 2003, and have been adjuncting and contract-teaching since that time, so this is a welcome change. Meanwhile, we hired a new Provost, my department lost its Dean, and I gained an English colleague in our department’s new hire. Then, I taught the Literature and Faith class for the first time this year (see our reading list here) and offered a guest lecture in Dr. Moe’s whale-building class (watch the video here). Finally, while my cup was running over in gratitude, I was asked to be poetry mentor in the SPU MFA with all these fine people.
Acquisitions
We got a new car! Or, new to us anyway. I wish I’d gotten the stick, but seeing this cute little thing gives me a thrill every time I spy it. This was also the year that our family outgrew our camping tent and so traded up and the one where I finally found a wool blanket I like.
Family
We potty-trained the boy! Both kids learned to ride bikes! It’s such a joy to watch them feel the freedom they’ve earned.
We took a road trip down the coast in Summer—you can see some pictures here—about which I’ll remember most Canon Beach, the Dinosaurs, horse-riding at the Salladins, Westmont College, the dad who played “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd as a lullaby, hikes in Prescott, Ben’s graduation, and Bri’s not-prom.
Later in summer, we had a bad time camping at Larrabee, and took two good trips to Camp Casey, one in Summer and another at Thanksgiving. Also, we had, briefly, Tuxedo the wonder-pup and Puma the kitty.
Reading
The best books I read this year were these:
Anaphora by Scott Cairns
Charis in the World of Wonders by Marly Youmans
Dunce by Mary Ruefle
J.I. Packer: an Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken
Online Offerings
All the live shows being cancelled opened up opportunities to see some shows I otherwise might’ve missed. I’ll particularly remember my friend Damien Jurado’s Instagram live concerts, wherein he played back through his deep catalog, the SPU Sacred Sounds of Christmas special, the National Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, and the Luxury documentary and talk-back.
Listening
TobyMac The Lost Demos
I couldn’t get any music to stick this year. I don’t know if I just didn’t have the leisure time to put in, or if the releases were objectively worse, but my chief feeling regarding recorded music this year was disappointment, even though tons of bands I normally love released records. The only one that mattered most all year long was this, from yes, the lead singer of DC Talk. It’s my kids’ favorite record and, this year, it’s mine too.
Sandra McCracken Patient Kingdom
I love the production on this lady’s records. This is just how I think records should sound. Cheers to the recording engineers. I can’t really listen to any of her other records because we sing songs from all of them at my church, even the songs not meant for congregational singing, all the time. It’s always seemed to me somehow perverse to listen to worship music when one is not engaged in worship, but this new record, while deeply devotional, is just full of, you know, songs.
The Strokes The New Abnormal
I’m a sucker for The Strokes. I think their sense of swing and of song-craft is coequal with Sinatra’s.
Lee Bozeman Jubilee
This is a quiet little 4-song Christmas e.p. that’s so sad and so spare and still shining somehow: a fitting soundtrack to this bleak and God blessed time.
Watching
I didn’t see any movies of note this year (this is not unusual for me) but I saw two long-running TV shows that I found very moving and intelligent: The BBC’s Detectorists (thanks Overstreet for the recommendation) and The Great!, which is only the second television show I’ve ever wept over. Eh, make that the third; I recall being pretty broken up over the Family Ties series finale when I was 11.
Worship
Parish life at St. Ambrose continues to be a source of abiding joy. This year, I’ll recall (when could I ever forget?) having Eucharist on the back lawn while dog-walkers ambled by, recording worship songs with my wife for the at-home services—the first time I’ve played guitar seriously in a decade—the Bettis wedding (our church’s first!), the Henley wedding (outdoors and distanced and raucous fun), the Ramos baptism, Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Anderson home, and the Easter egg hunt at Fr. Troy’s.
Neighborhood Nutcracker
Finally, this was the year when the Nutcracker Ballet was cancelled, along with everything else, and our daughter just couldn’t stand to lose one more thing, so we decided to make our own. December was entirely given over to planning, filming, and editing this project in which my wife tried to make a little magic for those who missed this holiday mainstay. She made the chocolate scene at our local chocolate factory, the Chinese Tea scene at an actual tea shop in Chinatown, and so on. The whole thing was luminous and joyful as all these dancers volunteered to make it come alive.
Phew. That’s a year. Joy to the world.
