Yesterday was kind of a tough day. I had to remind myself to keep everything in perspective. I had to remind myself that God’s got this and “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7”
Looking back, the things that were weighing heavy on my heart are nowhere near as important as keeping my family safe and healthy right now. If we can manage to get through this and all stay healthy, then the struggle and compromise is well worth it.
Someone that I know posted on her Facebook page that she’s in the hospital. Her post really stuck with me as she urged everyone to take this seriously. She was on my mind and in my prayers all day. I was relieved to see her update that she’s doing okay. She’s still in the hospital but is hoping to go home soon. It certainly changes things a bit once you know someone affected with the virus.
I, like many, many others, find myself having to take a break from working (and an income) because my clients had to close their small businesses. We were already living off of one income as Reece is not currently working. And while I completely understand and know that the situation is temporary, I was struck at Holden’s concern. He asked what would happen to us if we can’t afford our home anymore. That just broke my heart that he, along with all kids, have so much uncertainty in their lives. I assured Holden that we’ve saved for “a rainy day” and that we will be okay. We also talked about how in the scheme of things, we are fortunate, and that God would want us to continue to help people who are less fortunate than we are.
A knock at our door brought some more short-term craziness. I received a certified letter from a car rental company saying I have not returned the vehicle I rented in Alabama in February. The catch is that I didn’t rent a car and I haven’t been to Alabama anytime recently. Several weeks ago, I had learned that someone cashed two of my checks from my client. So, it looks like someone has stolen my identity. I spent hours on the phone with the car rental company trying to learn more about what had happen and explaining/proving that it was not me who has their vehicle. I then spent even more time following steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission and local credit bureaus to protect myself from further fraud. A pain, yes. Worth stressing over, probably not, compared to the craziness going on all around us.
Other than that, our first week of self-quarantine went well. Digital learning went way better than I thought it would. And any hiccups we encountered were quickly resolved. Holden had a video conference with his social studies class, and I think it did his soul good to visually connect with teachers and friends! I am so appreciative of the teachers and administrators who had to create these plans with little time to prepare. I know how hard teachers are working from home right now to help their students stay on track. And yes, after playing the role of principal and teacher this week, I have an even greater appreciation of what our amazing educators do each day and agree that they should all get paid a bazillion dollars!
I Facetimed with a friend. And while my first thought was “I need to improve my comfy, no make-up quarantine look”, I quickly got past that and found myself cheering up as we talked. We had last seen each other at breakfast the Tuesday before schools closed down. I remember our conversations that day, filled with uncertainty about what the next weeks and months could look like. But I don’t think we could have imagined all that would change in such a short time. We talked about how everyday life has changed, the challenges of teaching and entertaining our kids, how our faith is bigger than our fear, how good it feels to have other Moms friends and even fun business ideas. The only thing missing was a glass of wine…but it may have been too early for that…lol!
Reece, Holden and I have been taking family walks with AJ each day. The fresh air feels great. We talked about the little stuff…other dogs, the chirping birds, squirrels (that AJ wanted to chase). We admired the other houses that typically we may not notice, and we chatted about games we want to play (Holden is hot on Uno right now and Reece likes Chess. So, we compromise and play both). It was our escape from reality. We’ve talked about playing tennis just the 3 of us, but I’ve quietly watched as people on our neighborhood Facebook page debate over whether or not people should be at our courts and I’ve struggled with what we may feel comfortable with versus public perception. We haven’t really gotten too bored yet…but I suspect that is coming. So, I’m taking some time this weekend to prepare for next week. I’m creating our daily menu, based on groceries we have on hand. Planning daily exercise or outdoor activities and making a list of things we can do when boredom hits (games, movies, puzzles). I’m also setting up a way to do a group FaceTime or Zoom so we can better keep in touch with our friends and family.
So we continue on. Taking precautions and counting our blessings. I’m praying for all of us, knowing that we ALL have challenges that we are facing right now. I hope we can all give ourselves some grace, as we navigate these uncharted waters together.
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