Cope with Hope When the World Goes Nuts

Hello, Friends!

Well, we just never know what is coming down the pike, do we? One day we have our long to-do lists, our calendars full of work and fun and appointments, our cupboards and gas tanks maybe closer to empty than full-because who has time to plan and go to the grocery store, or fill up before you have less than a quarter tank of gas? And it is so much easier to grab something in town for dinner, right?

Then the next day, we are hoarding toilet paper, rushing to the store to buy everything in sight and worrying if we have enough food to last for 2 weeks,  realizing how long it has been since we have cooked and eaten every meal at home, and slowing the pace way, way, way down.

It’s crazy.

Episode One….Cope with Hope

The day after  9-11 happened, my 8th grade language arts students and I took a few minutes of our computer lab time with Mrs. Vanderhoof to record our thoughts and impressions.

Back then, I was so focused on preparing for the standardized test and staying to the learning standards and my darn lesson plans, that I missed a HUGE opportunity. The opportunity to teach my students WHY we learn to write and read and, back then, learn to use the keyboard in the first place-to communicate and process what we are learning, thinking, feeling, experiencing. It certainly wasn’t to pass an arbitrary state test, but to learn to process and record REal LIFE STUFF!!!!

Sidebar: When did 2001 become the olden days?

Back to my story…. Those little paragraphs were golden as I look back on them. I kept them, laminated them with every intention of donating them to the Newton Public Library. Instead, I brought them home with me when I quit teaching and stored them in our basement, where they got damaged in one of our basement-floodapalooza episodes.

The sweet reflections written by scared 8th graders were a treasure to read and probably therapeutic to write, too. I wish I’d allowed them longer than the 5-10 minutes of keyboard practice time to really journal for posterity and their own mental health, what it was like to be 13 in a rural community when the world shifted.

Episode Two…Cope with Hope

It is shifting again.

This time around, I’m not a public school teacher any more, our kids are all being homeschooled by government mandate (who would have ever imagined?) and EVERYONE’S life has been turned upside down in scary ways.

We thought we knew who the enemy was back then; now, it seems that our big foe is a virus and perhaps just as dangerous, flat out fear.

In February, Brad and I took a bucket list trip to Israel. We had no idea that life as we knew it was about to change during the 10 days we were gone. Certainly, the news of a virus in China had caught our attention, but we gave up being  news junkies many years ago and have been SO MUCH MORE JOYFUL, so we were in no way worried about it.

There were a few people with masks on when we arrived in Frankfurt to catch our connecting flight, and we were asked if we were sick by customs officials when we landed in Israel. However, things began to ramp up while we were there, and it was evident by the number of tourists wearing masks when we finally arrived in Jerusalem for the last four days of our adventure that something was definitely changing.

Desiring to be fully present on this trip, we didn’t read or watch any news, but by the time our trip was over, there was no way of denying that this wasn’t just a regular seasonal illness, but a monster in the making. We saw MORE masks, used more and more Thieves hand sanitizer, and I wiped down every surface of the plane within reach with my Thieves wipes.

Home…

Once we arrived home, we found out our boys had been researching the virus, preparing for quarantine and wondering if their folks would come home sick. Fortunately, we didn’t, but when we learned our kids were nervous about it, we decided it was stupid to be ill informed and began to pay attention to what was happening.

We have been practicing social distancing since it was first suggested in the United States because…..MATH, people!

Honestly, I have never been more thankful to live in the middle of the country in a county where people truly care for each other in the center of the Midwest. Staying home, unable to even meet with our church family is causing me to pivot in so many ways as we get a chance to RESET our lives away from things that don’t matter toward what is really important.

I won’t take family dinners, or Sunday worship service, or lunch with friends or Friday Soul Food Bible study or life group or a myriad of other things for granted when this crisis is over.  We want our table full again and our family and friends around us.

In the meantime, praying without ever saying Amen (#belikebetty), reading scripture, listening to worship music, singing at the top of my lungs are the best ways to process emotions and get through difficult times for me. Journaling, practicing Holy Yoga, breathing fresh air, drinking lots of water, eating nutritious food and walks with Daisy are on the daily agenda.

Aren’t you so thankful for all the ways to stay connected with one another? And we can even actually still call someone and hear their voice the old fashioned way!

We don’t know what lies ahead of us, but God does. I trust his goodness, and I hope you do, too.

These verses in particular have been comforting me today….

We live with hope in the Eternal. We wait for Him, for He is our Divine Help and Impenetrable Shield. Our hearts erupt with joy in Him because we trust His holy name. O Eternal, drench us with Your endless love, even now as we wait for You. Psalm 33:20-22 The Voice

How are you learning to cope with hope?