Ask anyone about how their last few months have been and you’ll likely hear about the things they’ve missed out on or lost - graduations, weddings, dinner parties, funerals, spending time with family, the list goes on... At Hutton we’ve certainly mourned the same losses and some greater than others as we’ve navigated residential care during this crisis. 

It’s a common saying at Hutton that you “wear your weather” so in the same fashion, we’ve chosen to look at things a little differently. Has 2020 been a rough year? Absolutely. But, in a season defined by many unexpected, we are choosing to reflect on a season of many unexpected blessings. 

Here are just several of the blessings that we find ourselves so thankful for: 

1. Time Together. Like many others families across the world, life became a lot slower allowing for quality conversation around the dinner table, fewer demands and the chance to just simply ‘be.’ 

2. Learning Opportunities. Both in our continued studies for online learning and extended campus opportunities, we’ve challenged ourselves to learn something new regularly, even if it seems minimal. 

3. Abounding Creativity. Our kids have made the most of this unfortunate opportunity to unleash and engage in some of our most creative projects yet. From garden mosaics, yurt building and duck habitats to community meals, we’ve refused to sit idle. 

4. Opportunity for Reflection. In a world measured by productivity and routine, we all have agreed that, at Hutton, reflection has been key to making it through this challenging time. 

5. Reminders of what it means to be a member of the Hutton Family. Ultimately, we have strengthened our community and family. Each day we’ve chosen to learn together, stay in touch in unique ways and encourage each other. 

So, we’ve all experienced things in the past few months that we are very grateful for. With that said, we also eagerly anticipate being able to return to a new normal where we can reopen our campus, facilitate our usual fun summer outings and return to school this fall. 

Suffering often brings to light what has been in our hearts for longer and reveals what we place hope in. For this reason, as a community we’ve been focused on the blessings that have revealed themselves despite the burdens present. What an incredible lesson for every single one of us to reflect on, young and old.