Disrupted Lives of Social Distancing

© Barbara V. Evers, All rights reserved.

It’s like my grandson has radar. I opened the app to start this blog post, and immediately heard, “Babbie” called from downstairs. (For those of you who don’t know, that’s what my grands call me.)

Deja vu. The last three blog posts I’ve written–on here and on my writing blog–have been interrupted by him multiple times. I don’t know why that is, but he must have a sixth sense about when I’m blogging. Maybe he feels me start to think about our situation and responds to it. So he’s now in the floor of my office, again, while I’m writing this post.

We’re not alone when it comes to people who dealt with disruptive shifts in their lives. All of us are dealing with disruption these days. The Bible is full of examples, too. These are the ones who popped into my mind as I began writing this:

• Adam and Eve: lost their innocence, their home in the garden, and two of their sons (one to murder, the other to banishment)
• Noah: built an ark while people jeered at him, and then, with his family, spent a VERY LONG time on that boat while every familiar part of his life disappeared
• Sarah: became pregnant in her old age and had to cope with the physical changes of pregnancy in her 90s
• Esther: went from being an orphan raised by her uncle to becoming a queen who eventually had to put her royal existence on the line to save her people
• Mary: learned she would be pregnant out of wedlock, a crime punishable by stoning, and struggled to make Joseph and her family accept what happened to her
• Peter: shifted from simple fisherman to a follower of a man the Jews persecuted and executed, and then he was called to explain the crucifixion and resurrection to the Jews on Pentecost
• Paul: lost his sight when he had a vision from Christ on the road to Damascus that challenged everything he had known and stood for

If you consider what these people went through, the changes and disruptions they experienced, maybe our Covid-19 disruptions are not as big as we think. I know for some of you, the disruption is larger. You’ve lost your income. You need healthcare services that aren’t available. Or some of you might have tested positive for the Coronavirus. These are major issues. The people in my list above experienced quarantine-like situations that put their lives in danger, too.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

For me, it’s a minor inconvenience. I have to stop–as I just did again–to deal with problems or conflicts between the grands. I can work between interruptions, though. It will affect my productivity, but I will adapt. The children will adapt. Their lives have been disrupted, too. They can learn what constitutes an acceptable interference and what guarantees my displeasure.

Ultimately, if the stay-at-home directives work, we won’t face any major life shifts like the ones these Bible characters endured. The key is keeping our faith and enduring this disruption.

Who else comes to mind when you think of disrupted lives in the Bible?

Forced to Slow Down

My forced slow down continues, but I’m on the recovery path with my broken foot. I hit a much-needed milestone this week. I can now drive. Short distances, mind you, but it’s a step in the right direction. Of course, I pushed my limits early in the week and had to slow back down as my foot complained. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

One thing I’ve noticed as I spent the last month (!) as an observer instead of major participant in the running of our household is how much the kids have been affected by the shifts in our routine. I already knew they needed routine to feel safe, but it’s different when you observe it happening. At a time when we needed cooperation most, they became more difficult. This week, I’ve seen occasional improvements, but in small doses.

Amari seems to be pushing back against the changes by whining. A. LOT. We’re talking multiple meltdowns in the hour between getting up and going to school, and then a repeat of this in the hours after school until bedtime. Luckily, this isn’t happening at school. I wish I knew what was going on in his head.  I’m sure there’s some worry that he can’t express to us driving him to these actions.

When he keeps whining, we get frustrated, and our patience runs thin. And that brings Victoria into the picture. She starts yelling at everyone. We’re already dealing with the adolescent onset of negative attitudes and tones from her, but she’s taking it to a whole new level. The weird thing is she sounds like she’s mad at us, and we’re just trying to get everyone moving and on track toward school or bedtime. She told me this morning, she’s not mad at us, she’s mad at her brother. Great. We’ve asked her to stay out of things because it makes it worst, but I feel like we’re talking to a wall.

Since I’m stuck working from home, I often spend some time after they leave sitting quietly. I need to get my heart and mind in a good place before I tackle anything else. First, I pray for their day, the safety of our schools, and any other issues I want to discuss with God. I’ve been better at really focusing on this in the past month. Then, most mornings, I listen to my Bible app while I sip on my tea. If a particular scripture intrigues me, I listen to different Bible versions of it while I get ready for the day. It does help, and I eventually come back down to earth.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105

 

Before I dive into my paid work, I create images like the lantern one above and post them on social media. These seem to be a result of the time I’m spending in prayer and scripture. The response to my posts tells me people need these inspirations during their day, too. I’m doing them for me, but it’s nice to know they’re impacting others.

There’s a lot I’m seeing and trying to understand these days. The situation has forced me to observe. Even though I can’t act on most of what I’m observing, my gut is telling me that I need to pay attention to the clues. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find some answers or gain some insight during this time. I’m frustrated, but I’m trying to make good use of my enforced rest.

What about you? Have you ever been forced to slow down? What did you learn?

 

Memorial Day: Respect and Acknowledgement

Sometimes others say it better than me. I ran across a moving story today and decided to share a link to it instead of my own post this week.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but the one in this story has generated much more than that. It’s a story about an impromptu photograph, a veteran’s grave stone, and an eagle.

See it HERE.

Hope everyone has a safe and blessed Memorial Day!