Reflecting on 2021

2021 is now behind us. Like many of us - I have a lot to be thankful for as I look back on this year.

Here are some of my highlights from 2021:

1. Did my first Screaming in the Cloud interview with Corey Quinn.
2. Was a guest on the Legacy Code Rocks podcast with M.Scott Ford.
3. Heard for the second time in my career the that startup I worked for was acquired.
4. My undergrad institution (@UMBC) featured me on the website. It's great company to be mentioned with some other notable alumni who are making a great impact.
5. Most viewed WednesdayWisdom post.
6. Most viewed ThursdayThought post.
7. Was a guest on the Interface podcast. Jennifer Plummer is a fellow Meyerhoff and UMBC alum.
8. Over 300k views of my post about joining Google in July.
9. I officially became the father of two teenagers this year. Seeing them grow up and hit new milestones has been wonderful. My daughter made the tennis team and my son made the basketball team. In my mind - I'm a cool dad at their games / matches. In reality I'm cheering and yelling like crazy when I watch them do their thing. Sometimes I think they can tell that I'm figuring out this parenting thing as I go :-)
10. Got to meet two of the coolest guys in technology in person. Brian Liles and Kelsey Hightower are phenomenal. Great conversation about tech, leadership, fatherhood and life.
11. I was part of the team that supported my lead pastor taking a well-earned 16-week sabbatical after 15 years. There's a much longer story here but for now I'll say a few things that experience taught me:

• Healthy organizations should be built in such a way that the lead / visionary can step away and things can keep moving forward.
• One of the best ways to measure the effectiveness of a leader is by the culture that's in place when they're not around.
• We were blessed to have some phenomenal guest pastors come in during sabbatical. I shared duties with one of our other preaching pastors along with 10 guests during the 16 weeks. I preached on "A Psalm for Sojourners" from Psalm 121, "When God turns your Weeping into Reaping" from Psalm 126 and "A Faithful Father" from Matthew 1:18-25. Several guests commented on how blessed they are by the diversity at our church. I agree 100%.
• Most of us only step away when we're burned out. We need to normalize folks taking time away to recharge for the next season to pursue healthy rhythms - not just in response to something breaking down.
• Don't underestimate the importance of God's grace in your situation. All of the training and preparation in the world can never be a substitute for God working out things on your behalf.
• I married a phenomenal woman over 22 years ago. She is my cheat code. I couldn't imagine a better partner, friend and lifemate for this journey.

I'm a simple guy. I do my best to share observations on life that come to mind as I wear the various hats of Husband, Father, Pastor and Technology leader. Check out my?website?for more thoughts on life, tech and relationships.