Pressing On

I was looking through some old journals the other day.  I wondered what I was thinking about a year ago when our lives changed so radically because of the pandemic.  I found these words inscribed from sometime last April -- almost a year ago:

A friend posed the question:

"What will you do differently when we get back to normal life?"

How little did we realize in those "early days" what was still ahead of us.  How little did we realize how we would be changed by this.  How little did we realize that we would still be reorganizing our lives around the pandemic a full year later -- that people would still be vulnerable to it, still getting sick, suffering long haul symptoms, and still dying.  Plans were cancelled.  Churches went online.  My eight grandchildren have not been in real classrooms for a full year.  We had no idea.

Normal?  That doesn't even seem to be the question anymore.  Nor the answer.

A few days later, again a year ago, as I reflected on her question, I wrote down:  "It depends on what we are doing now. It depends if we want to go back to "just normal."

The pandemic was not a short story after all, but a vastly altering narrative.  And every day-- in the struggles and in the joys-- emerged a story of God's faithfulness.  We were awed by surprises along the way, strengthened by what we have suffered, girded up by what we experienced, grateful for how God provided and prepared us, and amazed at the resources we never knew we were capable, skills we didn't know we had, and how deeply relationships meant to us.  And we prayed a lot.  We missed the hugs.  We still do.

Eleven months into the pandemic, still huddled together as a family, one of my daughters asked her kids, "What is your favorite thing in the world right now?"  One four year old replied, "Cheese!"  His twin brother cried out, "Petting aminals!" (yes, correct spelling).  And my six year old granddaughter smiled and shouted out,  "Being together."

That is what she will remember for the rest of her life.  Being close as a family.  Spending time -- a lot of time together -- that is what is precious to her. 

Our lives will be divided by Before Quarantine and After Quarantine.

          And transformed by all the stories between.

Now to Him 

who is able to do far more abundantly

than all that we ask or think,

according to the power

             at work within us,

to Him be glory....

                Ephesians 3. 20-21