These were pleasant days. After the busy time of shopping and preparation I had experienced the previous two days (and the undeniably busy pace of life I had experienced for many, many, MANY days before that!), it was refreshing to be at home and not have to go anywhere. Besides that, I also became aware of the positive side of the tragedy that was enveloping the world. We can ALWAYS count our blessings, right?
In particular, I counted...
1. Time with family - such a treasure! This past year had seen Josiah gone from home much more than ever before; and even though we have been excited and proud of how he's chosen to spend his time (mostly being involved in campus ministry), we had missed him. Having all the children at home because of this virus was a true delight.
2. More time to plan meals and cook - rather than throwing a meal together last minute, I was taking time to be more thoughtful about it; and as a result, it was more fun (to anticipate, to prepare, and to eat!).
3. The feeling of security that comes from being better stocked with food - we used to do that at the old house, a natural consequence of our lifestyle of gardening, canning, etc. But since our move in January of 2018, we had become very accustomed (and partly from the necessity of having a smaller house and much less storage space) to shopping for food as we needed it, rather than buying extra to have on hand in case of emergency. The fact remains though, we LIKE having extra food on hand. It's a good idea, even if one is not in the middle of a historic epidemic.
4. Good weather - if this had hit our area in the middle of cold winter or when hot summer was in its heyday, it would have been much harder. The fact that gentle spring was when this change occurred made it easier to deal with--not only because the weather was mild enough that the kids could play outside quite a bit and delay the onset of cabin fever, but also because spring is a time of optimism. Longer daylight hours, increasing warmth, beautiful blossoms--all these contribute to the hope that bursts forth in the spring--hope that was needed to not give into the fear and uncertainty of these days.
3/14/20 - Tobin, Moriah, and Benjamin decided to each draw this fire truck; and I enjoyed seeing my young artists busy with their task. :)
On to the specifics...
Saturday, March 14, was a day I had been looking forward to for a long time: our annual women's outreach event hosted by our church. I was going to play keyboard for a special song to be sung at Women's Day, as well as praying in Hebrew as part of the international prayer that would be part of the festivities. Even better, I had some dear friends who were planning to come with me. It was a much-anticipated event--so much so that when my eyes were finally opened to the severity of the crisis around us and the likelihood of major changes coming, I prayed fervently, "Dear God, please help us to at least have Women's Day before everything shuts down!!"
Sadly (but very wisely!), the decision was made on Thursday to cancel our Women's Day--at that point, just two days away!! I knew it had to be done and was the best decision, but it was certainly disappointing. As a result, it felt very strange to be sitting at home on Saturday afternoon when I had planned to be at The Bethesdan Hotel for that event!
Another outing which is often part of our Saturdays is David's taekwondo class; but although they were open that day, David made the decision to not attend. Again, I felt like it was the right decision, but it felt different for sure to miss that.
Jeff did go to work as usual that day; and on his way home, he stopped by Aldi for a few things and got his turn to experience the shortages I had seen the previous two days. He reported that the shelves were extremely bare. It just so happened, however, that while he was there, one of the employees was restocking the shelves in the produce section and brought out packages of strawberries...$1.29 a pack...a good price for around here! Jeff got a whole flat (8 packages), and they were a very special treat--so juicy and delicious. It felt like a hug from God that Jeff "just happened" to be there when they were brought out! We sure enjoyed those berries. :)
Jeff also went by Safeway, the larger and more expensive grocery store that is close to our house and discovered that they had more food there, which was reassuring. No toilet paper though. ;-) Even though we didn't need it, we just always have to check! :)
That evening, we had delicious, hearty cheeseburger chowder for dinner, along with crackers and plenty of fresh strawberries; and our after-dinner entertainment for Jeff and the older four boys was the game Pente. Moriah wasn't feeling well, and she actually fell asleep on one of the living room chairs before I roused her and helped her get ready for bed. At some point in this evening, David said something about being immune; and Benjamin quickly corrected him: "You're not a moon!!" :) :)
Sunday, March 15, was unlike any Sunday we had previously had, but it reinforced the definition of church as being the people and not the location--an important lesson to learn! We listened online as our pastor, LuJack Martinez, preached from his home and live-streamed it to ours and many others, and we gave thanks for technology that connects us when physical distance separates us.
While they were out, they stopped by Aldi again and discovered that there were still lots of bare shelves, but they managed to get some useful stuff anyway. We definitely haven't had this much food on hand since we moved here! :)
That evening, we snacked on our usual Sunday evening "meal" of popcorn, as well as munched on other things. And we played Settlers of Catan which is a game we love (the variations of how the game can turn out are endless, so we don't get tired of it!) but we have to set aside a few hours for it. On this night, we had a few hours. :) Tobin won. :)
Late that night, after everyone else was in bed, I got my blog going again--oh, joy! :)
On Monday, March 16, Jeff went to Harrisonburg by himself. There was no reason for the rest of us to go: the kids' choir rehearsals with the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir were cancelled, and we couldn't/shouldn't visit any of the people we normally love to spend time with when in Harrisonburg. My mom's unit at the nursing home, for example, was completely closed off to visitors, so even though I was longing to see her, I wouldn't have been able to even if we had made the trip. And my dad was fighting off germs and didn't want to share those with us--and as it turned out, I was fighting off germs and didn't want to share them with him! You see, that morning, I woke up with a sore throat. For a week and a half or so before that, the kids had been passing around some kind of bug that gave them sore throats/headaches/fatigue, etc. Nothing too serious, nothing that seemed like it was COVID-19, nothing that necessitated a doctor's visit. But enough to make them each feel pretty miserable at some point or another.
I had pretty well convinced myself it must be some kind of germ I had had earlier in life and had built up an immunity to because I wasn't getting it, despite my exposure to my sick kids. But then... I woke up with a sore throat and realized I wasn't immune to it after all!
And so, as Jeff headed down the road alone to Harrisonburg, the kids and I stayed home, grateful for the chance to sleep in and then jump back into a more normal school routine; we had taken off quite a bit of time the previous week because of their sickness and my preparations.
With Jeff gone, we took it easy meal-wise, enjoying leftovers for lunch (those taquitos were STILL delicious!) and a simple dinner of hotdogs, baked beans, tater tots (which David renamed something cute and unique that I now forget), and fresh grapes.
On this day, I made a conscious decision to reach out to at least one neighbor or friend each day. Of course, on a normal day, I have contact with more people than that, but I wanted to go beyond the people I regularly connect with and reach out to those that might fall through the cracks of my mind. On this day, I called our elderly, very kind neighbors Fred & Lynne and got to talk with Lynne for a few minutes before they headed out the door for a doctor's appointment.
I'm learning that in times of uncertainty, it's not just about how much food and other things you can stockpile to preserve yourself; it's also about how many connections you make and deepen that can be a blessing to both you and others.
And speaking of blessing, I feel SO blessed: this time of confinement is much less problematic for us than it is for many, many people. We have everything we need; and besides the physical provisions, we also have the companionship that so many people are desperately missing. With so many siblings, my children aren't alone, even if we're cut off from friends we love!
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