Day by day

As I look out of my back door into my backyard, I see a decent-sized plot of freshly plowed earth, ready to be planted. I am so eager to get out there and put things into the ground, but I have to practice patience, as I have seen it snow and freeze in April, such as what we've had the past few nights. I was tempted to go at it last weekend, thinking, "Surely, we're done with snow and ice." I'm glad I held off. I'm waiting until the last week of April or the first week of May to start that, taking into account what the projected 10-day forecast shows us. Working in my garden is therapy, and I'm desperate for something to do.

I've only been out a handful of times, either to drive-in church or to the store, and I'm just caught off-guard by all the people wearing masks. I'm not knocking it, it's just a reminder of the grim time we are in. There are plastic screens between the customer and the cashier. As of yet, I am not wearing a mask when I go out. I did wear one the other day when I had the opportunity to serve lunches at a local school. It is a drive-by lunch line, where we hand the bags of food plus the next day's breakfast through the window. I loved seeing lots of faces I recognized, and I fought back a tear or two. It made me miss those kiddos even more.

There are a dozen theories as to when life might return to normal. Some are saying late May, others are saying until the end of the year. Scientists are scrambling to find a vaccine, and people around the country are getting restless. They are done with social distancing and the ban on public meetings of 10 or more, including churches. Religious leaders are calling it an attack on their right to worship. I disagree. An individual is just as likely to pick up the virus at church as they would at WalMart. It's not an attack on churches, it's a form of protection. If it is indeed an attack on churches, then it's also an attack on schools, parks, playgrounds, concerts, sporting events, etc. It's an effort to stop the spread. Do I like it? No! But if we don't practice social distancing, we are only going to spread it further, and I can't imagine much worse than a pandemic that's getting worse and worse. These are just my thoughts and opinions. Your views may differ than mine. 

I'm hoping for a return to a somewhat form of normalcy by June, as that's when we start our BGC summer program, and I sure miss those kids. From there, I pray that it carries over into the school year. If schools are not allowed to re-open, will I have a job? Is there a place for paras in a virtual school setting? First of all, not working with the kids would be a killer for me. Second, I have really good insurance with the school, and that helps me buy my insulin, which is not cheap. Third, that's a significant loss of income for me. However, I just have to pray and leave it in God's hands. I can't give myself anxiety by playing "what if" all day long. I'm just praying for a quick end to this virus and a quick discovery of a vaccine. Will you pray with me about that? I'm sure a lot of you already are.

That's about all I've got this evening. Thanks for reading and being my ear to vent to. I pray that God will bless you and keep you safe.