Routine

I have lost track of the days of the week. Every day seems like the weekend. Trash day is the only important day of the week. I had to get a routine together for the sake of my sanity. I need to get up. I need to accomplish something, even if it’s just getting out of the bed. The kids still have assignments for school. My husband has to go to work. Clothes have to be washed. Meals have to be cooked. There are things to do. Establishing a daily routine has helped bring some normalcy to my house. I can’t move the same way I used to, but a routine has helped me and maybe you too!

Reckoning

No one deserves to die, but we all have to at some point. Death has no discernment. It is the great equalizer. No one can live forever. We can control how we live. We can control how we treat people. We can control how we respond to people in dire circumstances. Do we still have kind words on our lips? Do we value our humanity? Do we value our health? Does our leadership have the same values? Depending on where your politics lie, will determine your answer to most of these questions. We are experiencing a worldwide reckoning. Not quite the biblical judgment, but we should not emerge from this the same. Business should not be “as usual.” We should be different. Our world should be different. Hopefully!

Happy Place

You’ve got to find your happy place. I know it’s hard to find a happy place under quarantine. I’m so used to finding my happy place in public venues that I had to rethink “me” time. I have learned to appreciate silence and showers. I enjoy cupcakes and extra icing. I have a new appreciation for bluetooth speakers and IG live. These are the things that make me happy. Find your peace. Rediscover your joy. Find your happy place.

Heroes

Real heroes don't wear capes. They are on the front lines fighting an invisible villain. They are wiping down grocery carts and stocking shelves. They are volunteers at testing centers. They are bus and truck drivers. They are garbage collectors. They are postal workers.  They are nurses and doctors. They are in drive-thrus. They are in warehouses. They are civil servants. They are essential. They are making everyday life a little bit easier. They are risking their well-being for ours. They are our real life heroes. Thank you for all you do!!!!

Holler

I’m sure everyone is frustrated. I’m sure by now you are tired. You may feel like “enough already.” It seems that even our government is tired of all of these restrictions. It may not make sense. It appears to be hurting the economy. Americans need to get back to work. It’s worth the risk, they say. I’m reminded of Jericho. I’m sure those soldiers were tired. They had been walking around in circles. They didn't see any immediate results. It all seemed pointless. For what? Why? All of these seem like reasonable questions. But….after the frustration, after the idiocracy, after they got to their wit's end. God said, “Blow your trumpets!” They yelled. They shouted. They hollered and the walls of Jericho fell. Maybe it’s time we cry out to God. Maybe it’s time we holler. God knows what could happen if…

2 Chronicles 7:14 kjv…If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Now

There are no “do-overs.” We can’t change the past. We can shape tomorrow by what we do today. What are you doing now? If nothing else, this pandemic has taught me to be prepared. We don’t know what the future holds, but we can equip ourselves. We have the opportunity to shift our lives in ways we never could before this pandemic. There are free classes and tools that are accessible, now. There are ways to better ourselves, now. There are ways to be better prepared for similar circumstances, now. We can budget better, now. We can live better, now. Do something, anything, now!

New Normal

We have no idea what our “new normal” will look like after this. I’m sure we will be more cognizant of our health. We might turn into germophobes. We might feel safer inside. We might wash our hands more than we did in the past. And that’s okay. We might love a little harder, and breathe a little deeper and that’s okay too. We might value our family and relationships more. We might keep in touch a little bit more. Technology might be integrated into our lives a bit more. Our new normal might include more of this and less of that. It’s okay. We are all adjusting to our “new normal.”