Writing Our Story

Our Next Chapter

It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning.  The sun is shining and I’m sitting in a cozy chair in my bedroom, you know the one, the chair that had dreams of being used for relaxing and reading, maybe doing some work, but in reality is always covered in laundry… either fresh from the washer or preserving the previously worn clothes, that could be worn again.  But today it’s cleaned off, for the first time in a long time, and ever since I cleared it last Friday, I’ve been planning to sit in it to write this blog post.

It’s a simple thing, I’m finding joy in the peace of my bedroom, while in the bedroom next door my oldest is working.  She doesn’t live at home anymore, but has come home for this time, for companionship, safety, and probably, most of all food.   My college student is attending online classes now that Spring Break is officially over, and my younger two are in their respective corners working on their schoolwork for the week.  My husband is grilling up some meat in between work meetings in the living room and on the deck.  This is our new normal.

In just a few short weeks, our world has gotten smaller, we run considerably less errands, all those meetings and places and things that we are always running to have been kept at a distance.  If this were a vacation it would feel relaxing to get away from it all, however, nothing about this feels relaxing.  And it’s more than the things we don’t get to do, but it’s also the people we don’t get to see, the people we know who are suffering. People who have lost jobs, who are fighting to keep their businesses alive, are fighting for their health, fighting depression and isolation.  People confined to their homes in unhealthy relationships, stuck at home with nothing to do but worry about the future, ministries struggling to keep supplies on their shelves and so much more.

We are writing the next chapter of our stories, individually and as a community.  How my brain receives this information and processes it, very much depends on the voices I allow to be the loudest.  My memory of this time will, in large part, reflect what I choose to pay attention too.  There is so much that could hold my attention, choosing the hope & joy and the life-giving is a conscious choice I have to make.

The stories are endless.

Writing an Epic Story

Our rural school district has gone to online school, while knowing that not all of our kids have access to internet and have lost their access to lunch & breakfast.  So, what are they doing about it?  They are sending out buses, every morning to central stops and offering free breakfast & lunch to any kids who show up.  Those buses are also offering wifi hot spots for those kids to download/upload their assignments for the week.

A local ministry is having trouble keeping the basic food supplies on their shelves, today a friend is dropping off two 50 lb bags of rice that we purchased to help.  Others are doing the same, it’s not a lot, I’m limited to one bag of rice per day just like everyone else, but together, we can keep them running.

A local upholstery company got a shipment of medical mask material.  What did they do?  They made it available for free to anyone willing to sew medical masks for their community. One person with a giant roll of mask material can help, together, we can take a huge step in supporting our community.

I’ve seen picture after picture of hearts in windows and sidewalk art to encourage our neighbors.  We are not alone.  We see each other, we see you.  One encouragement can save a life, together, we can save a whole nation.

Local Churches are rising to the challenge, offering online services, worship, youth meetings, prayer.  Individually they will provide hope to some, together, they can show the world the hope of Jesus.

Today I choose to sit in my chair and share the good stories.  I choose to be in the moment, not the future.  Today the sun is shining.  Today my chair is clean.  Today my kids are home with me.  Alone, I can focus on the good and share it with those I love, and we can write a better chapter, together, we can write a great one, and epic one.

“”None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”                                                      – Mother Teresa