Apologies in advance……. my blog will currently not let me upload any photos to this blog. I hope to get that changed soon, but until then, it’s only a read 😉
About two weeks ago, spell check on my Iphone didn’t recognize the word COVID in a text, and insisted on correcting the word to “livid.”
Not today it didn’t though. Now my phone, your phone, and the entire world is well acquainted with the word COVID-19.
In fact, I’m sick to death of the word COVID-19, and when I get done writing this blog, my phone’s getting turned off, my computer’s getting shut down, and I’m going to enjoy a much-needed bubblebath. You will NOT be able to reach me. Sorry, not sorry.
The virus has hit my beloved home state of Michigan in the past couple of weeks, and each time I go to work in the Medical ICU, things look, sound, and feel different. A week ago we were limiting visitors, a few days ago we began to deny any visitors at all, and in the past 48 hours we seem to have rearranged our entire hospital to accommodate the nightmare we are all experiencing.
Parenthetical note for those of you outside the hospital who have loved ones inside the hospital – We are loving on your loved ones with every ounce of compassion in us. We understand your fear and your longing to be bedside, but please know that the nurses caring for your loved ones are not only nurses. We are mothers, fathers, sons & daughters, brothers, sisters, & friends, and even grandmas & grandpas, too! You stay home and keep healthy and trust us with your loves – we’ll care for them well. Pinky promise. We’re looking forward to this being over just as much as you are 😉
As with any other catastrophic event, the disruption in what a normal day would look like for us always seems to make one stop for a minute and start asking some pretty deep questions. And I’m convinced that all of our questions are not really that much different from one another’s. Maybe a little bit – but not that much.
Global pandemics have a way of causing us to remember who we love, and who we need to reach out to just to say hello. Then there’s that little nudge inside that just won’t go away, reminding us of something we need to make right, or maybe just a little better with someone. If you’re feeling that nudge – perhaps you should act on it.
And who knows! Maybe you just finally get to the closet you’ve been wanting to clean! (That might be a pun, or it might not – I’ll leave it up to you 🙂
For me, it’s been a time of asking questions, a time of trying to make some things a little better, and a time to remember that I have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for. I’ll list a few.
I miss my grandchildren. They are about 3 miles away. But I have internet and FaceTime, and I can still read them a story and tell them that I love them. I can even blow a kiss! (When I lived in Germany and sent videos of my son home, my family had to wait weeks for their arrival!) Technology can be good! Just tonight I was FaceTiming my granddaughter when she decided mid conversation that she was hungry. She set the phone down on the coffee table and said “Give me a couple minutes Gummy, I’m going to tell Mumma I need some food!” Okay, I said. I’ll just wait here underneath the lamp shade! Fun times.
I recently cleaned out a deep freezer in my basement because I figured I no longer needed it. Trust me, an empty nester doesn’t need much more than a refrigerator. When I stocked up on food because of the current pandemic, I had a nice clean empty freezer waiting to store all of the meat I purchased at the Amish Market. Not only was I the only one in the store, but there was an abundance of everything. Yes, even toilet paper. This reminded me to be thankful for the decades of raising my sons when we never lacked for anything – not food, not toilet paper, not gas in the car, a roof over our heads, nice warm beds to sleep in, or plenty of laughter in the house.
I took care of the required yearly Secretary of State trip just days before the office closed until further notice. And since I have a brand new car, I don’t need to worry about breaking down and finding a mechanic who is open and able to help. I’m sure thankful for that!
I found out that Tylenol was likely going to disappear, but I’d been collecting it for a couple of months, and I’m not quite sure why. Again, always listen to that nudge.
I’m currently working on the dedicated, already over-flowing with, COVID-19 unit of the hospital I’m employed at. That carries with it all sorts of possibilities. I won’t go there. The silver lining? I happen to know that God is in control – not me, and as a friend gently reminded just yesterday when I was having a moment of fear-induced panic – nothing that happens to me has not already been sifted through the loving hands of God. He’s still good. Bonus? Both of my sons and daughter-in-law not only understand that, but they believe it with all their hearts.
I have friends all over the country who want to know how they can help and two already have. I have some class-act, amazing, insanely faithful and loving friends. Gifts from God for SURE! James 1:17
I just finished some chili and cornbread that a friend dropped off for me yesterday. I’m not hungry. In fact, I could use to shed a few pounds. Thank you, Lord!
It’s my guess that as soon as I started thanking, or even mentioning God – I lost half the people who began reading this. There are many people with a lot of questions right now for Him. That’s okay. He longs for your questions, your search – He wants you to find Him. He’s not hiding. In fact, not only is He in plain sight – He remains in control of both you and me.
“If you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:3-5
There are times when I am as frantic, anxious, nervous, and even downright afraid as everyone else. But those insanely faithful and amazing friends I mentioned above? They text me songs and Scriptures, and remind me of the promises of God – that He will never leave me or forsake me, and I don’t just believe them to be true – I KNOW them to be true.
Someone once told me that when things seem most out of control, to look at the Cross. The disciples were there with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and though they believed and trusted in Him, they really didn’t know what was going to happen next. Their friend was dying on a Cross in front of them and they were being left alone without Him, wondering what in the world was going on! The thought had to have crossed their mind at one point that things were just crazy and out of control!
But they weren’t. They weren’t out of control at all.
Jesus died. COMPLETION was His cause of death. He lived the life we could not live, to die the death we could not die, and rose from the dead three days later just like He had promised. It may have seemed like things were out of control, but you see – they were not. God was in complete control!
So as our nation, and my home of Michigan weather this horrible storm that has made it’s way into our lives, I am finding great comfort in knowing that I know the One Who has not lost control. The one who is in complete charge of all of my life’s twists and turns. Nothing takes Him by surprise. To those of you who remind me – thank you. I’m so thankful for the Body of Christ during these days! And for those of you would like to put your trust in Him, please shoot me a FB message, call me, text me, trip me, lasoo me, or…….. just pull me aside.
I’d just love to tell you why we really don’t need to be afraid during times like these.
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