What I thought was just a lot of media hype has turned into a global pandemic. It has turned the world upside down in a very short time. And I have a feeling that, before it's all over, it'll cause way more economic damage than the physical deaths it's caused.
A month ago when I heard about it, I naively thought it wouldn't make its way to the U.S. For the past week, I've laughed at and have shared the Coronavirus memes all over social media. Yes, I am concerned about my parents, my in-laws and my husband getting it because of various health reasons. But I, personally, am not worried about it. I survived Flu B for the first time in my adult life last month and I've heard that the Coronavirus isn't as bad, that most people have it but don't know they have it.
Friday is when I started worrying about that stupid word and its implications. Friday morning I went to work and one of my co-workers said, "I bet we'll be closing down the school until after Spring Break." I laughed because it still didn't seem that big of a deal on a local level. 1 person had been diagnosed with it on Wednesday and I think the number was up to 23 by Friday morning. By Friday afternoon her prediction became a fact. I left school discouraged for so many reasons. I usually do my grocery shopping on Friday but I had heard rumors about how crazy stores were. So, after school, I dropped the boys off at home and I headed to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. I was shocked that there weren't any carts available at the front of the store and that it looked like the Apocalypse once I stepped in the store. The meat dept was wiped clean. A loaf of bread was nowhere to be found. The only case of water that was available costs $21. People's carts were overflowing everywhere I looked!
Sunday we went to church and once again I was surprised. I knew that the governor had said that you could not hold gatherings of more than 250 people, but I was surprised to see less than 100 people in a service that usually holds 300-400 people. To add to my surprise, a couple sat down two seats away from us when there were hundreds of open seats to choose from. What happened to the 6 ft of separation? I know it was rude, but we got up and moved back several rows (as did another lady that had been sitting there before the couple sat down). I don't want to risk Rob getting sick just so someone doesn't get their feelings hurt.
It just keeps coming. Parish teachers reported to school today only to be told that the scheduled inservice would consist of creating resources for our students to use over the next few weeks to help them retain the info they've recently learned. As of midnight tonight, it seems like the entire state of Louisiana will be closed down. Every day something new pops up and it's enough to make my head spin.
During this crazy time rumors are running rampant. Tensions were high. But here is what I've learned through all of this....
* Fear is a liar. God is bigger than this virus and He knows how it's all going to go down.
* People have good hearts. They want to help each other.
* I am blessed to work at a great school, where the VP reads scriptures to calm our nerves and teachers care a whole lot about their students.
* Hoarding groceries only helps you but others may need it more than you. So be courteous.
* Sometimes it's just best to slow down and take it all in, to enjoy the moment.
* Life can change at the drop of a hat.
I have struggled with this last one a lot today. I LOVE surprises, but I HATE uncertainty. Surprise me with a gift or flowers or a card in the mail but don't tell me you don't know when life will go back to normal. Surprise me with a party but don't tell me that everything is closed around me and that you don't know when they will reopen. There's a lot I don't understand right now, a lot of things up in the air that I'd rather see grounded. But, I keep thinking back to Sunday's sermon about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. They didn't bow down to fear even when their lives were at risk because they had that much faith that God was in control. I need to be like that. Right now I need to pray more and worry less. So I will focus on a verse that my VP read to us this morning:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind." 2 Tim. 1:7
That's what I focus on to cancel out all the crazy that's going on.
Or I sing one of my favorite songs in a time of fear, "Fear is a Liar".....
"Fear, he is a liar.
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear, he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
Cause fear he is a liar
Let Your fire fall and cast out all my fears
Let Your fire fall, Your love is all I feel....."
Right now I pray that you don't get sick, that your life is not completely turned upside down and that you don't let fear control you. Until next time......
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