CLEVELAND — It has been a time of waiting. Remember how a year ago we waited for “2020”?
The year itself even had a musical ring to it. “Twenty-twenty” rolled off our tongues like the refrain of a song.
Then came the virus. Our song’s notes turned flat and sour.
And a long wait began.
We waited to see how bad the virus would be. We did not have to wait long.
The enemy was horrible. And we waited for more armor to guard ourselves. And more weapons to fight a deadly war. In the United States more Americans have died of the COVID-19 virus that in World War II. And the death toll mounts.
We waited for businesses to get back to what they once knew when times were better. We are still waiting. And just as we have waited for lifesaving turning points in the war against the virus, other events took place, demanding our attention.
We still wait for fuller answers to them.
There was a big political election in 2020. We waited for the results.
All the while, we found the war against the virus. All the while, we fought the war against the virus.
All the while, the wait for a vaccine continued.
Now the vaccine has come as we wait for its wider distribution. Our wait has been in a year of darkness. But because we have felt our way through this together, perhaps we have learned to better see in the darkness.
Maybe – just maybe -- we see a pathway to a better understanding of each other. After all, we are in this together. We have waiting and still wait, but together.
Now, we wait on the calendar change, hoping 2021 will usher in brighter times. I don't know about you, but I am ready for a new year, one which brings good news.But that was what I said a year ago when 2020 walked through the door.
Still, ready or not, 2021 is knocking. We are waiting out this year's final few hours.
But waiting means more than just stopping.It means pausing but in anticipation for something new coming. Waiting means also holding on, looking for something new.
You and I must work toward 2021 to be the shot in the arm we all want and need....and have waited for.
More from Leon Bibb:
Year in Review coverage:
- 2020: A look back at a historic year of change with Russ Mitchell
- WKYC.com's most-read sports stories of 2020
- WKYC.com's most-read news stories of 2020
- 2020 Year In Review: Pop culture, politics, the pandemic, social justice and sports on the 3 Things Know podcast
- Timeline: A look back at how the COVID-19 pandemic evolved in 2020