Corona Chronicles VII

I was hanging out with four of the coolest Millennials last night and they let me share some of my best work and life advice for them. So, as the news of declining pandemic deaths continues, there is the desire for many to let go of what is unneeded and live boldly and fully into the present and future. COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and it's summertime. It's a new normal and hopefully we have all learned some valuable lessons for life going forward. As such, I wanted to share 10 ideas for Millennials (and others) who may be looking for simple, yet helpful suggestions for daily life and work:

1. Put God first.

2. Don't worry about what others are doing. Keep your eyes on yourself and your goals and your life. Don't worry about what others may or may not be doing.

3. Learn about your gifts, DNA, makeup, and personality. They will help you find your passion. Work will be a joy when it is matched with passion and giftedness.

4. Never forget your family. You need them and they need you.

5. Be humble.

6. When fishing, don't use shad to catch bream. Life requires the right tackle, fishing spot, time of day, tide, and moon phase.

7. Be true to yourself.

8. Live within your means and your income.

9. Seek professional counsel when needed. Everyone needs a good physician, pastor, plumber, attorney, and painter.

10. Carpe Diem. Live every day to the fullest. Live in the moment. Write your goals down. Live today. It's all you ever have.

My eBook of 31 Daily Prayers: Written for First Responders

 First Responders: EMS, Police, Fire, Law Enforcement Officers

My eBook "31 Daily Prayers for Health Care Workers: Comfort and Inspiration During COVID-19" was written for you, too. Each day there is a prayer and an accompanying picture, that I took, to inspire, comfort, and spiritually encourage you in your daily work. This eBook had you in mind as you provide emergent, sacrificial, and timely care for those needing immediate care services.

It is available via Kindle and Amazon. Bless you in the work that you do for others. I hope this eBook of 31 daily prayers provides you with some much deserved brief, self-care for your professional and personal life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091J8R11Y

Corona Chronicles VI: Hope Is Rising

Good Friday, April 2, 2021

Columbia, South Carolina

It has been a long year. I started my daily prayers for health care workers and first responders on March 23, 2020. That is the day I mark as the beginning of my own Covid-19 experience. Of course, the virus was already active and had begun to really impact New York City and other areas of the USA well before then. As we passed the one-year anniversary of Covid-19 in late March 2021 I was becoming more hopeful as the vaccine had begun to be rolled out in the USA. I felt hopeful even as I was fortunate to take the Pfizer vaccine, double shot, one in December 2020 and the follow up in January 2021. Yes, hope was rising and continues to rise.

It is Easter weekend. Today is Good Friday. Thankfully, I have some time off from work and I have time to pen this sixth edition of the Corona Chronicles. Here are some reflections of my own experience and struggle through the daily grind of the pandemic.

1. I have not liked having to wear a mask each day, at work, in the community when shopping, etc. It has been a great adjustment keeping one handy as I travel about. Yet, the mask is a lifesaver and has probably been one of the keys to sustained health for me. So, I press on with its use, hoping that one day I can get back to a place where I do not wear it. On a side note, I believe the mask has helped me and others stay safe from other respiratory viruses too. Wearing the mask naturally keeps airborne germs from being passed from one to another. All these precautions are not fail-safe, nor 100% effective, but I do believe they have kept many of us safe.

2. One day at a time. Yes, I am learning to live one day at a time. Staying with the daily tasks. Enjoying each day. Knowing that God is with me and I am with God in my daily work, grind, life.

3. One brick at a time. One task builds on another task. Life has been simplified for me, even more than in the past. One day’s accomplishment leads to another day and then another day, and then goal accomplishment.

4. People have died. I know many, many people who have died from Covid-19. Some were known from my work experiences and some from my personal life. All lives matter. It has been very, very sad to see. Grief is real. This past month, March 2021, my own mother died, and my aunt died in 2020. I do not believe that either one died from the effects of Covid-19, yet it has been a tough year. You know people who have died from Covid-19. All of us are grieving in our own way. I am trying to find ways to let myself actually “feel” and fully experience the losses. It means slowing down and letting all the feelings and experiences settle into my mind and soul. I hope you will do the same. We all grieve in our own ways and we also cope in our own ways. May God’s grace be with you as you go through your grief. I know I need God’s grace, now more than ever.

5. Hope is rising. The vaccine is helping communities to move toward herd immunity, one day at a time. School districts are talking about students getting more fully active in the classrooms again. Parents are hopefully feeling some sense of hope that the worst could be over. Businesses and owners and workers have endured great loss and suffering, and they are seeing signs that life may come back to a new normal, sooner than later. Families are gathering more. Grandparents are maybe seeing the grandkids more. Fear is declining and hope is rising, for the most part. These are my perceptions. I hope you are feeling hopeful, too.

Finally, Easter is upon us. For some Passover is too. Some are not religious. Some are spiritual. Some are neither spiritual nor religious. I pray that all who read this will find hope in their lives. For me, hope is rooted in my faith, in my loving family and friend connections, and in my purpose and mission on this earth. I am grateful for health and wellness, too. Without physical wellness we can experience pain, suffering, and losses. I am also thankful for emotional wellness and spiritual wellness. Of course, I have room to grow in all areas, but I believe hope is rising in my soul. I hope it is rising in yours. Let us keep an eye out for those who may be losing hope or even lost hope due to the pandemic. Needs are everywhere. May we see ourselves in the “least of these” on this fragile, fertile earth that we inhabit. May we realize that health and wellness can be lost and gained ever so easily and unexpectedly. May hope rise in your heart, now and going forward. For all these things, I hope and I pray, amen.

Corona Chronicles - Part V

The year's end cries out for at least some brief thoughts about 2020 in part V of the Corona Chronicles. Here it goes.

I have loved the group texts that my most immediate family has been having the past 10 months as the pandemic began and progressed. In my opinion, these group conversations about the virus, the general election, holidays, COVID tests, and work conversations have drawn me closer to my kids, grandkids, and extended family, now more than ever. So, I am thankful for the closeness that the virus has generated. It's a silver lining of a grey cloud.

I miss attending church in person but the live and taped services from my church have been quite a blessing. It has helped me and the larger church remember that the people are the living Church, and conversely, the building is not the living Church. I have been able to watch the services live, taped, 5 days later, etc. It has pushed the gospel more outward and less inward. This has been a silver lining during the grey cloud of the pandemic.

My faith got tested during this pandemic. The test is not over but my faith is stronger than ever. The pandemic took the air out of most of us at some point. Yet, God's Spirit walks and inspires and encourages me. I go into 2021 stronger even as the pandemic continues the test it has for me. A stronger faith is a silver lining of the grey cloud of the pandemic.

From John Milton's "Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634:"

I see ye visibly, and now believe

That he, the Supreme Good, to whom all things ill

Are but as slavish officers of vengeance,

Would send a glistening guardian, if need were

To keep my life and honor unassailed.

Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud

Turn forth her silver lining on the night?

I did not err; there does a sable cloud

Turn forth her silver lining on the night,

And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.

And, finally, from the Gospel of John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Amen.

The Grief Is Real: Thanksgiving 2020

 "The Grief is Real: Thanksgiving 2020"

11/23/2020

There is no doubt that COVID-19 is continuing to change our world and our lives. It has changed mine. Normally, around Thanksgiving, I would be considering a trip home to PA to see my 81 year old mother. She is doing fairly well but I do worry about her. She is in good care and for that I am thankful. Even so, her younger sister died a few months ago and it has continued to weigh heavy on mom's heart and soul. I wish I could travel to PA and see her. It would make me feel better and I believe it would lift her spirits too. But that trip is going to have to wait. So, the grief is real. I won't be making that trip.

About 10 days ago I had the amazing blessing of being able to hold my two grandchildren, Eloise and Hampton. She is three and he is eight months old. Holding each of them was priceless at my youngest daughter's engagement celebration that was greatly pared down with only the most immediate family members. It felt so good to be with Eloise and Hampton, and their parents Sierra and Michael. It was the "balm in Gilead" that soothed my heart and soul which had been greatly missed seeing them and being with them.

So, this week there will be many, me included, who will be grieving the norm of being able to freely, almost thoughtlessly, congregate with family at Thanksgiving. I realize that this is a time for smaller, most immediate family gatherings. It's the bigger gatherings that will be most missed for many of us. It's the deferment of traveling to see relatives where COVID-19 numbers are greatly rising. It's a bittersweet time. It's a time of loss even in the midst of some joy. Joy of being able to be with those most closest to us.

So, what can we do? First, be mindful of true feelings and real loss. No one is immune from the losses caused by the pandemic. Let us be gentle with those who are most sad, including ourselves. Let us remember those who have already passed and will be missed this Thanksgiving. That grief is real. Secondly, let us be gentle toward ourselves. Ask yourself: How am I feeling? What do I miss? What can I do to honor my feelings, yet still enjoy life and the holiday? For me, I want to give thanks to God. I am grateful for the bounty of the land and the bounty of a precious family who loves me and who I love. Lastly, let us move forward with a deep faith, honest and true feelings, and a deep love for God and family. May we remember those who need an encouraging word or a kind gesture. Either way, the grief is real and so are the blessings.

My Prayer for Health Care Workers - August 23, 2020

Faithful God, I lift up health care workers and first responders who are working in South Carolina and throughout the country today and tonight. I am grateful for faith communities and clergy who continue to provide support, care and inspiration for workers. I pray for all who are feeling isolated and disconnected as this pandemic continues. Be with workers as they provide emotional and spiritual care to those who have COVID19 and other chronic and acute illnesses. I lift up all workers with the hope that they will continue to take good of themselves, even as they care for others in these most difficult times. I give thanks for sustaining faith, and religious and spiritual practices which help us to stay grounded and rooted in the core values of grace, hope, long-suffering, and most of all, love. For all these things, I pray, amen.

Corona Chronicles Part IV: Buying the Second Round of Toilet Paper in Bulk!

Well, I knew it would happen. I finally ran low on the first round of toilet paper that I bought with many others sometime in the beginning of April 2020. I live alone, well with Lucy too, and it probably took me longer to run through this first round compared to some people and families. Either way, I bit the bullet and went to Kroger this morning and bought round 2 of the great toilet paper American buyout!

I believe I may be the only person to ever go into Costco just two times. That is the truth. I believe both times I went hesitantly. I admit that I am at an age where “less is more” makes a whole lot of sense these days. I have never been a “buy in bulk” consumer, at all! But, fear not, I have an appreciation for those of you who are and who save a lot of money. More power to you! I like saving money, too, but honestly, buying 96 rolls of toilet paper to save money just does not appeal to me. I prefer to live day to day, going with what I need. Yes, it can be a hard way to live when there is no sugar in the cupboard. So, let me just concede the point. Having enough of the basics, i.e. sugar, eggs, TP, is commendable and can be an easier way to live.

So, the need and urge to buy in bulk is one of the ways that the COVID19 pandemic has caused change for many of us. Today, I bought round 2 of my bulk toilet paper. I was pleasantly surprised that Kroger had their cheap name brand and I happily put it into the bottom of my cart because that’s where bulk stuff fits with the junior shopping carts that I like to use.

The pandemic has caused a lot of change. Here is where I am at the present time. I like the adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” It is a saying that I have regularly pondered in my life, at times, when I needed to reach down deep and move ahead amidst struggle and trials. Facing challenges is a matter of going through them and realistically acknowledging the struggle of “pressing through” and “onward.” This is a basic life principle of mine. It is a matter of discovering one’s max performance or if you prefer, knowing where the “red line” exists. Let me illustrate. Most cars can rev their engine as high as maybe 6,000 RPM but that is about it and only for a short period. At some point the engine will blow and shutdown. That is the red line and the warning line. Well, COVID19 is pushing most of us to discover the red lines in life. Where are the limits and maximums? What can I honestly do and achieve in a day’s work? Where do I need to ask for help? These are good questions. Some of these questions I am asking myself even daily.

So, you are not alone. Most of us have probably bought round 2 of bulk TP. Have you? Most have probably hit or neared a few life “red lines.” It is just where we are right now. So, let us remember that we all have limits and eventually we run out of resources and we must recharge, refuel, recalibrate, and pray again. May we have the wisdom and grace to know when to step back and reconsider the challenges that lay ahead. Then, let us be careful to avoid burnout and overheating. In the end, we all must reload and recharge, refresh, and renew the lives we are living. May you be blessed as you navigate COVID19 challenges and this very uncommon season of life. Happy shopping at Costco, too!