Picture of the Week - 4/9/2020

I think we are on day 28 of the quarantine/social distancing/wierdness of 2020

That's 4 weeks.  

The governor of Georgia just extended our "shelter in place" until the end of April.  This week was spring break for the boys.  Next week I was supposed to take Spencer to Virginia Military Academy for a wrestling camp and college visit.  I got an email from work yesterday letting us know that they have deactivated all our security badges - meaning we can't go back into the office even if we wanted to.  Weird and disconcerting times for sure.

So before all of this stuff happened Bob and I had recommitted to church.  We actually did that before I got laid off and it was honestly one of the best things for my mental well-being during that situation.  Literally weeks before Covid hit we both signed up to participate in small groups.  I've never done anything like that before.  It was well outside my comfort zone...  

And yet, I felt so compelled to do it.  It felt like something I needed.  

The messages we have heard from our church - and the conversations I've had with a group of women who started as strangers in my small group have lead to some additional things.  I've ordered books based on their recommendations.  I've listened to music and podcasts that wouldn't have caught my attention in the past.  I am more spiritually aware now than I have ever been.  It's strange for me to think of it as an awakening, but it's certainly new information that I have learned and has taught me to look at other things differently.  You can label that whatever you want...

All of these things - along with an overhaul of my social media feeds to get rid of people and places that spewed unhelpful, depressing drivel and replace with uplifting, inspirational, and HAPPY - have lead me to some thoughts and beliefs about what's going on with the Coronavirus - and what I should do about it.  I don't know if my approach is the right one for everyone, but I hope it causes anyone who reads this to at least pause and consider.

Because pausing and contemplating is what God wants us to be doing right now.  We have literally been forced to throw plans out the window.  We are riding out these days with our families.  We have had to really prioritize what is important.  

And that's what I have done - started to focus more on what I believe will bring me growth and comfort and happiness.  I've cherished the 28 straight days of family around the dinner table.  I've recognized - and shared - how blessed I am to get to do life with my best friend.  I've noticed how each of my boys has dealt with this and I understand them better than ever before.  I'm so grateful to watch the relationships between brothers grow and thrive.  (Temporary, often daily, spats aside)

None of the above needed a packed schedule full of activities.  It DID need human interaction and connection.  Mother Teresa has a quote that I've always loved and it couldn't be more relevant than it is today.  She said, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."  Maybe, just maybe, humanity needed a reminder to slow down and love.  Maybe, just maybe that reminder came from God and the end-result, despite what the main stream media says and what happens in the stock market, is going to be just what we all needed.

Hope hasn't been cancelled.  

Love hasn't been cancelled.

Gratitude hasn't been cancelled.

Faith is alive.

I am at peace with the Quarantine of 2020.

PS - this doesn't mean I don't have bad days, outbursts of frustration, boredom, etc.  I get mad.  I get sad.  I have eaten too many Cheezits.  I am not all rose-colored glasses and Pollyanna viewpoints.  I regularly need to remind myself how I WANT TO think about this just situation.  I have to be intentional.  It's not an accidental perspective because as human's we are FAR more likely to fall into "gloom and doom" thought than to choose to be positive.  It's innate - it's science.  If you don't believe me, spend a few hours on the internet looking at study after study after study digging into the biology/chemistry/neuropsychology of happiness.  

Here's a picture of Beckett chilling in the living room at some point on some day recently - they really do blur together a bit.  He had his dogs.  He was fed, safe, protected and happy.  We all are.  And that is worth stopping to offer up some praise, don't you think?

Take care as we move through what many people are saying will be the peak of this disease.  Stay safe.  Stay sane.  And my hope for you is that you can choose to be intentional about what you will walk away from Covid-19 having learned/felt/decided.  

Have a very happy Easter everyone!  It's going to be one we will never forget.  Make it a great day!