Well, hello! It's April. The year was flying by and then, BAM.
COVID-19 hit and now it's crawling by. It's April 8th, which means we've been "sheltering in place" for going on 4 weeks now. I remember when all the craziness started... It was March 12th. A Thursday. My kids and I were having another crazy, hectic day. Chris went to work. Shaun went to school. Jordan, Violet, and I did some schoolwork and then went to run errands. It just so happened that it was time to buy toilet paper. The younger kids and I went to Sam's almost specifically for this purpose, but guess what? They were all sold out. Sam's Club was a madhouse. I mean, people everywhere. Buying all of the bleach and toilet paper. We found the few other things we came for and waited in line about 30 minutes to check out. It was crazy! Jordan's piano lesson had been moved to Thursday afternoon, so I was stressing that our Sam's trip was taking so long. We made it to the lesson and then I rushed Kroger to get groceries. I was in a hurry because Violet had soccer practice and I had to work, both starting at 6. I had spoken to Chris a few hours earlier and he had told me that the leaders of our church (where he works) were considering calling it off for the next Sunday. We hardly ever cancel church, so I just wrote it off. But, as soon as I walked in to Kroger, right there in the produce aisle, my phone rang and I was informed that I didn't have to work that night after all because choir practice was cancelled... because of the virus.
Okay, so that wasn't so bad because now I'd be able to be at soccer practice. I bought groceries, which was a task because, like Sam's everybody was in there buying up all of the stuff. Again. By the time we were done I barely made it home in time to unload everything before I had to load everyone up in the car again head out to practice. Oh, Jordan also had baseball practice. Shaun had choir practice, but it was cancelled, so he went with Jordan. Violet and I went back to Gainesville to meet up with Chris and head to soccer.
Soccer was fun. Chris was coaching again and all the parents seemed nice. It would turn out to be our only practice. :(
Later that night we learned that schools were being called off for... 1 week? 2? I can't remember but now the school year is over and all of those kids are learning from home for the rest of the year. I really do feel for all of the parents who were forced into at-home learning. It can be quite an adjustment. After that, everything just sort of shut down. Soccer season, baseball, church. Co-op classes, the YMCA, playgrounds, clothing stores.
So, for the most part, we've been hanging out at home, all together. This time has been hard on us because, even though we homeschool, we are rarely home. Our days are usually packed with all of us running in different directions in the evenings. Now, we're home. Chris is still working, thank God. I'm so grateful for his job. He's doing a lot from home but has to go in a few times a week. Shaun is doing his college work via Zoom. Jordan and Violet are trucking right along with their schoolwork. But, surprisingly, it isn't all that terrible. We've caught up on our rest. We've cleaned and organized things that we never had the time to do in the past. I'm cooking more healthy meals. We are spending time together. I've grown closer to the Lord because I've joined about a million on-line Bible studies. Life is simple.
The fact that life is terrible for many people right now is not lost on me. I know people are sick and dying. I know people are losing their jobs. Even those who have been fortunate enough to keep their jobs are faced with uncertainties that they've never known before. I mean, even going to the grocery store can kill you.
I am no stranger to worry. I struggle with anxiety and usually always imagine the worst possible outcome of any situation. But this time, I'm surprisingly calm. I'm concerned, yes. But there's no panic in my heart. I'm walking with a peace that can only come from the Lord. I can't watch the news. I can't listen to all of the conspiracy theories and statistics of this virus. If I did, I know my mind would spiral out of control. If I spiral, my whole house spirals. So, I take precautions. I've shielded myself from people who are panicking. I pray a lot more. I quote lots of scripture. And I watch a lot of entertaining TV. Tiger King, My 600 Pound Life. And I'm making my way through the Twilight movies again. I share funny memes. I pray a lot. I go for long walks. Anything to keep my mind from spiraling. It's working for now and I'm so thankful.
