People bid good riddance to trying year

Last year was unlike any other - murder hornets, a global pandemic, a contentious election cycle, wildfires and videos of UFOs released by the Pentagon.

In a year that saw massive division over a variety of issues, two things brought people together - agreeing that 2020 was a bust and hoping for better days in 2021.

The Daily Standard asked people what their last words would be if they could talk to 2020 and what would they say to 2021? Some responses may have been condensed or edited for sense, grammar and space.

"Oh 2020, we may not have been the best of friends, but you were not all bad," Dee Fullenkamp of Coldwater wrote. "Thanks for reminding us that slowing down and looking out for each other are important. I'm thankful that you were generally kind to me and my family, but I can't forgive you for the havoc and destruction you caused in so many lives. To 2021; be ready because I want to see people and go places and have a little fun."

Kelly Hilbert Stetler, a Celina native now living in Texas, thanked 2020 for allowing her to grow in ways she never could have imagined. "Get ready, Celina friends, for hugs for people I haven't seen in a year and a half," she said to 2021.

"2020 - you truly stank," writes Martha Curry Scheer of St. Marys. "But despite your best efforts, I will remember that we made it through with a roof over our heads, with our whole family alive and with our jobs intact. We never went hungry, always had toilet paper and learned how to be content. Now, don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Andy Kremer, Coldwater, thanked 2020 for the little things.

"Dear 2020, thank you for all your blessings this year," he wrote. "Thank you for the extra time with my wife and all the backyard football games with my children. Thank you for pulling our communities together to support local businesses and for the incredible medical advancements. Thank you for all the front line and essential workers who kept us going amidst a pandemic. Thank you for showing us what really matters. 2020 has been very tough for many people, but it has also blessed us in many ways. Sometimes we just have to look from a different angle. Dear 2021, please show us gratitude, healing, and patience."

"2020, you woke us up," said Joelle Allen of St. Paris. "You showed the world that we weren't untouchable. Proved that the Earth is slowly dying. And for us to believe, trust and to have faith. 2021, we welcome you with hope. We ask for calm and kindness. We pray for guidance and peace. We ask for joyful laughter, but most of all we want to be with our family without fear. We ask for life."

Amy Johnson Nelson wrote that 2020 has taught her to appreciate the little things.

"Being able to see family and friends and giving them hugs. I miss them. I miss hugs. I miss my parents seeing my kids," she wrote. "I hope 2021 brings health and happiness to all. Cheers to a New Year!"

Other responses were short and sweet.

"Ain't you gone yet?" Carl Ward of Celina said to 2020. "'Bout time you got here," he said to 2021.

"2020 can take a leap off a tall cliff," said Vicki Wackler of Covington. "Hoping 2021 is better than ever."

"SOS," wrote Marla Geise. "Help get us out of 2020 and this pandemic. Bring on 2021 and please, Lord, put this COVID to bed and never be heard of again. We want our freedom back!"

While some shook their fists at 2020 due to the pandemic, others railed over the election, politics and the division America saw last year.

Jeff Hoying of Celina said 2021 might give 2020 a run for its money.

"On Jan. 20, 2021, the year 2021 will say to 2020, 'People thought it was bad before, well hold my beer,'" he mused.

"The year 2020 has made me realize how divided our country is and how awful people treat one another when faced with tragedy," Jane Menker of St. Marys wrote. "I'm hopeful that 2021 will bring out the best in people and we can find common ground."

Larry Booher said 2020 was a year unlike any other when it came to the treatment of the president.

"I'm really upset with the way so many people treated the president of the United States," he wrote. "I think this is the first time I've seen so much disrespect. I hate to see where our country is going forward."

Despite the challenges of 2020, the resounding reply from respondents was typical for the area: messages acknowledging the difficulties of the year, but tinged with hope and eagerness for the future.

"2020 is a year we will never forget, and one we don't want to remember!" Jeanne Braun of Celina wrote. "2021, a year of hope for peace and a 'United' States of America!"

"Dear 2020: I appreciate the lessons in strength, resiliency, the challenge to stay focused and determined, the lessons which taught me to slow down and appreciate the true things that really matter: people, love, and life," wrote Tammy Burns. "I bid you adieu but forever remain changed, letting fear be overcome by courage and compassion be my guide."

Last year was challenging. Messy. Stressful. People prayed to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And while a new year won't wash away the problems of the past, 2021 is finally here - and there's a light ahead.