"...2020 brought very little new challenges to our country, but dramatically exposed a set of deeply seeded challenges that were always there just below the surface, but barely recognized, let alone addressed..."

Editor's note: Every family is doing the best they can in an impossible situation. Thank you to the Futrell-Carters for sharing how they are making it work with By A Thread.

Polar Vortex Mystery Art Installation at the corner of Summit and Griggs in St. Paul, Minn.

Art is radical. Hope is radical.

"...We kids need to go and be in the world to be good people and we need to go to school to get jobs and we need to see friends so we can learn to be around people. All of these things help us kids to be good people and we can't do any of them right now..."

In The Vortex of '21, we bake. And the cookies make faces at us.

"...I wish that people knew that many teachers are working harder than they’ve ever worked right now. I’m easily putting in 60+ hours of work a week and still don’t feel like I’m doing enough..."

NO WORDS. By Ta-coumba T. Aiken, 2020. Acrylic on canvas. Anonymous gift to the Walker Art Center in memory of George Floyd (10/14/1973- 5/25/2020).

May the wrongs committed against The Communities of Color and Indigenous Peoples of Minnesota never be lost to history.

"...The coldest day of winter so far was a big day for our family, as I took my in-laws to get their first Covid vaccine dose. While their vaccination stories are their own to tell, I woke up today thinking of my mother..."

* Photo courtesy of Chris Howie

"...I'm hopeful that there is a vaccine. But I am dismayed that there are so many people who aren't able to get it as fast as I did..."

* Photo courtesy of Val Rubin-RaShaad

"...The pandemic shifted so many ideas around community and support. While the mechanics behind how we engage each other has been a challenging adjustment, the essence of why we engage has been amplified..."

"...I got it! I totally started tearing up in line! What a year... I'm so pumped to see the kids tomorrow..."

* Photo courtesy of Sarah Lightner

My family and I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art today. We were the 2nd group through since they shuttered last fall...

"...Whatever happens over the next few months, I hope that when we look back at this time we remember to analyze how the privatized system of health care in America affected the vaccine rollout - for better or for worse..."

* Photo courtesy of Jeff Digre

TAK OUTMOVIES ONLY.

"...I won't exaggerate and tell you that it feels like a new beginning. We still have a long way to go, but I am feeling more confident that we are heading in the right direction with far fewer obstacles..."

* Photo courtesy of Angie Haigh, RN

At Highland Park Elementary School, St. Paul, Minn.

"...I have never experienced the devastation that any disease has brought to people's lives as I have over the last 10+ months in dealing with COVID, even with my experience during the early days of AIDS..."

...Onward (with sheet cake)...

"...I worry that society will continue to divide itself, even amidst the pandemic. I just want to feel a connection to society again..."

"...This vaccine is slowly chipping away at that mountain of uncertainty and dread. That's an amazing feeling. That's hope..."

* Photo courtesy of Laura Willson, PA

...although this (gestures broadly) is hard, we can do hard things. We were born to, in fact...

*Ice chunk gifted to be by my oldest daughter.

"...I am so grateful to be getting this vaccine... we still have a long way to go, but the vaccine provides a path for us to get there..."

* Photo courtesy of Michael Coleman, RN

"...Queridos familiares y amigos, aqui les muestro mi foto de mi segunda y ultima dosis de la vacuna contra el COVID-19..."

* Photo courtesy of Dr. Lourdes Gomez Villaume

"...Like many parents, we’re just trying to keep our family functional. We corral them for online school and our own workdays end up being a bit disjointed..."

Less than one week from our new Mr. President and Madame Vice President.

Trump Impeached Again.

"...Hi Katie, I wanted to share with you that my grandma received her first dose of the vaccine yesterday! I am elated and my whole family cheered when we received the news..."

* Photo courtesy of Sarah Staab

On my mind. I hope it's on your mind, too.

"...This question might be a good opportunity to talk about patients in the ICU, not my job. People may not realize how frightening it is to be sick with Covid-19..."

"...I’m really concerned about going back fully in person February 1st... I’m hoping that we won’t go back to school until teachers and staff are able to be vaccinated... Oh! And one more thing... I wasn't planning on falling in love. But I did."

*Photo courtesy of Lacey Weninger

"Got it done. A little skeptical at first, but so far, so good."

* Photo courtesy of Bernard Foster II

"...I am a pediatrician that specializes in taking care of critically ill newborns...We welcomed our fourth child the first week of March, 2020. By the time we walked out of the hospital, the world was turning upside down..."

"Spent. 9 months in. They use the word “fatigue” but it feels much more than that. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was doing ok...I find myself running on fumes now...tired all day, and yet unable to sleep at night...

But. Better days are coming..."

*Photo courtesy of Bob Galligan

From my 7 year old, Annie, 

"Covid-19 is not great, but we can do this! Happy New Year 2021! We got this, people!

Be over, Covid-19! Wear a mask!"

"My heart is so full of gratitude...With extreme gratitude comes equally extreme disappointment for the inequities in distribution of the vaccine...Analyzing the ways in which this global crisis were mishandled by our country will keep many a PhD writer busy in the coming years."

* Photo courtesy of Emily Rumsey, CNM

"...what I do know for sure is this vaccine marks an important step on what will be our road back to normalcy...For this I am indebted to the scientists and the science. There it is. The right word. The right descriptor. I am Indebted."

* Photo courtesy of Carlo Juarez-Sweeney, RN

...This year defined my life, all our lives, in ways we couldn't have dreamed back on December 31, 2019...I am a changed woman because of my project participants and readers. And because of my own Pandemic Story...

"...my main concern is that these patients who are left off the books, these essential workers and their families who are suffering the most dire consequences of this pandemic, will not get their fair share of the vaccination-pie."

* Photo courtesy of Anna Dykhuis, RN

"...This year I have grown a lot...I can’t say I would have been able to accomplish any of this without the time that the Pandemic had allotted me. I wrote my book during the George Floyd riots, which was not too far from where I live. The tension that struck the Twin Cities that week fueled my urge to complete my book while I had the chance... "

"...It’s an honor to share my Covid vaccine date with Kamala Harris and I agree 100% with her words from today: 'I urge everyone: When it is your turn, get vaccinated. It's about saving your life, the life of your family members, and the life of your community.' ..."

* Photo courtesy of Erica Shearer

"The Best Christmas Gift Ever! I feel grateful for science, joyful tears, and FINALLY some hope for 2021!"

* Photo courtesy of Sarah Schmitz Burns, MD

"I am overcome with gratitude for the many women and men that worked tirelessly to develop the Covid-19 vaccine and the thousands who selflessly volunteered in clinical trials. And I carry the memory of the more than 300,000 people who have died from this disease..."

* Photo courtesy of Justin Cohenour, MD

"...It feels like we are on edge of a better new normal. I've been lucky, while I work in healthcare my job has been malleable and able to provide a good balance between work and home. Many of my coworkers have had to sacrifice and continue to be stretched thin...Hang on folks...it's really happening!!!"

* Photo courtesy of Casey Gunderson

"I got it. In the hardest year of my career, a glimmer of hope. But a realization we need to move fast to get the most at risk patients."

* Photo courtesy of Frank Villaume IV, MD

"...I definitely think there is some good to be found in this. We have been reminded how important our personal connections are...People have also thankfully gone back to appreciating the hard working folks who really keep this crazy train running, delivery people, cashiers, people stocking the shelves at the grocery store, truck drivers, the list goes on..."

"Receiving the vaccine was an exciting event. I thought I would be emotional - I got teary eyed when I got the appointment! But the energy in the area was electric with excitement...Hooray for science! My second shot is scheduled for January 8th."

* Photo courtesy of Rebecca Wieben, CNP

"...Get the vaccine, go to a room for observation for 15 minutes. Chit chat with colleagues, wish everyone Merry Christmas and whatnot...And then - literally the next thing I do is go see someone dying of Covid."

*  Photo courtesy of Dr. Jason Wirtz

"Not a great picture. My hands were full and this was the best shot I got. I was happy and nervous. I didn't know I was getting it today. I was scheduled for another day this week. I started shaking while I stood in line...I felt excited, nervous, and relieved...But most importantly, there is a new wave of hope."

* Photo courtesy of Tenley Johnson, RN

"I received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the evening of 12/18. It felt like the most Advent thing to do. The vaccine is like light breaking in to the darkness in the same way that I feel the birth of Christ is light breaking through the darkness...We cannot grow weary of doing the right things when we know the end is in sight."

* Photo courtesy of Dr Kirsten Morissette