Greetings to each of you during Holy Week!
Here we are in another day of stay-at-home! You here talk of when can we return to normal? We can we go do the things we did before COVID-19? I miss my family, friends, and colleagues! I’m afraid we won’t even return to the way things used to be. We can have a new normal.
By the time we are done with this pandemic, each of us will be personally affected by it, whether we know someone who had COVID-19 and lived, or a close relative or friend who had it and died. It is heart breaking to see all the body bags being loaded into refrigerated trucks to be given over to the families at a later date. My prayers go out to those families who have to deal with death in a new way-one where you are not surrounded by family and friends to comfort you in the depth of their loss. That is also true for anyone who has experienced a death from causes others than COVID-19!
For the time being, it is important that we follow the rules of stay-at-home and good social distancing. We can stay in touch through phone calls, emails, text messages, and good old fashion letters and cards. How we continue to respond with safety protocols will determine how long we will remain in this current state.
If you feel yourself getting anxious, turn off all media, go outside and sit on your deck/patio and listen to the birds, read a good book, talk to someone who loves you, and feel the presence of God. God is walking with each of us every day!
“Answer me when I call to you, O God who declared me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1 (NLT)
