To say these are challenging times could be considered a rather large understatement. It seems that all of us are being hit with a significant "one-two" punch. On the one hand, we have a very serious virus that can cause some seriously bad health risks for a lot of people. There has never, nor will there likely be, any reason for panic. There is, I think, every reason for caution. I have heard some say, "If you're going to get it, then you're going to get it," and use that as some reason to resist the guidelines that health experts have given. Everyone is welcome to their opinions and I certainly understand frustration over the major inconveniences, but I tend to disagree with that notion.
I heard someone say that they believed that God has pre-determined every aspect of everyone's life. This includes the time and manner of each person's passing. Therefore, it doesn't matter if we take precautions or not. While I am no theologian and no expert on that matter, I still disagree. To me, using that logic, one could justify drunk-driving by saying, "If I drink and drive and cause a wreck that kills someone, then that is what was pre-determined, so it doesn't matter if I drink and drive." Yes, that does take the argument to an extreme, but perhaps you see my point. Even though I do trust in the Lord, I still think we should take all the necessary precautions to keep this virus from spreading.
Because of the measures taken, businesses have taken a hit. Some have been forced to close, Some have cut back, just to be able to keep the doors open. There's no one who has not been affected by all this. Yet, as inconvenient as much of this has been, I don't see everything as having to be negative. Through these difficulties, there have been people who have come through and have shown the best of what people can be. In our own community, there have been numerous acts of kindness. A young person drawing and coloring pictures for residents of a nursing home, simply to brighten someone's day. Others making cloth masks for others in order to try and help minimize the spread of the virus.
There will, no doubt, be difficult days ahead. But we WILL get through this. We WILL get through this TOGETHER. One of my favorite songs from my Up With People days goes like this:
There's gonna be another day,
And it's not so far away.
There's gonna be another spring,
There'll always be another song to sing.
We're gonna see,
There's gonna be another day.
Please be safe. Please be nice to each other. And wash your hands.