On New Year’s Eve 2019, somehow just one year ago, we stood before a frosty forest, a gentle snow covering mighty pine boughs, a blue and hopeful sky towering above all. With feelings of good tidings and optimism, we wrote these words: “Whatever may fall, may we embrace the year ahead with peace, intention and gratitude for the beauty of these everydays.”
One year ago, we had no idea what the new year would actually bring, what snowflakes would fall, what challenges and transformations would grip us. Our rosy optimism seems naive one year later.
But then again, maybe we need to reclaim some of that hope. Perhaps we must learn to hope again, dream again, and create a world with less suffering and more of those beautiful everydays.
And perhaps there is no better symbol of that hope than a rainbow: the promise of the calm after the storm, light after dark, compassion after fury.
In our home, rainbow Waldorf stars adorn our windows as a symbol of the hopeful solidarity, love, and compassion that we share with the those in our community. On days that felt dark, the rainbows provided some light, some hope, some connection.
We count ourselves most fortunate to live within strong communities — our extended families who found creative ways to connect even when physically apart; our school that creatively provided safe outdoor learning spaces for our kids; our neighborhood friends to whom we grew closer during a time of distance; and, as always, our little family of four that provided the richness, joy, and love of life’s journey this year.
And, of course, we are grateful for this community here, the one that has grown up around Chasing Windmills. Over five years ago, we launched this company as a hope, a dream, an aspiration to create and share something meaningful with an inspired community.
At its core, Chasing Windmills is for those who chase the impossible dream, who understand that there is value in dreaming, hoping, striving, working for a better world. You all have sustained our ability to dream during a challenging 2020.
The fact that this little company of ours continued to grow this year is a testament to each and every one of you who believed in us. You invited us into your homes, you made our merino a small part of your family’s journey, you invested into this vision, and we are beyond grateful. We are touched.
Our wish for 2021 is that we all throw ourselves into the work of sowing hope into a new year. Hope is an action. So let us be the gardeners of a hopeful new year.
Let us embrace the everyday small acts, done with great love, that sustain a more beautiful world.
Let us care for the lives we touch and the environment we grace.
Let us realize that we do not own this Earth but rather borrow the lands, the oceans, and the air from our children…and their children too…and that we owe those future generations our gratitude, our intention, and our stewardship.
Let us start the new year with hope — the kind of hope that heals and builds.
The kind of hope that so many of you shared with us this year, and that we will carry forward in all of our days.
