I haven’t been able to write. I have half-finished posts I never uploaded. I have ideas that swirl around in corners of my mind but never come to fruition. Sometimes even the flurry of text messages seems like too much. All the extra effort necessary to make life feel more normal all feels like more than I have to give.
Because this isn’t normal.
We live in interesting times. Not something I certainly thought I’d see in my lifetime (or at least hoped I wouldn’t). I find myself easily distracted and struggling to find equilibrium.
As a homeschooling and work from home family, I thought this transition would be easier. But I haven’t adjusted well to 24/7 kids without a break. My children are loud; as in, if they are conscious they are talking, fighting and generally making noise. The sound that wakes me most mornings is their attempts at being quiet until the appointed hour. My ten-year-old is definitely staying up later than usual, even for her, which means I’m still on duty until nearly my own bedtime.
This will pass. True, we don’t know what the world after COVID 19 will look like, but the important thing is that there will still be a world. We will rebuild with the resilience that I believe we are all capable of. There will be those looking to place blame, seeking retribution and restitution. We get to choose if we want to be rebuilders and restorers or continue to tear down, leaving us worse off than any virus could.
I choose to hope. I choose to rise again.
We are on the same page. I’m choosing to praise not panic. We know who is in control and I trust Him more than any other.
Your FMF neighbor.
There is, yes, a golden sky
beyond every summer storm,
and the moon still rising high,
and Venus bringing in the morn.
The sea will calm, the rain will pass,
and the gulls resume their cries
the plovers stalk the tall seagrass,
and the frigate bird still flies.
The beaches will have changed, it’s true,
sandbars shift, and must be charted
to ensure safe passage through
the passes by the stalwart-hearted
who sail upon the first new tide
as required by their faith and pride.