Covid was (is) a huge “hiccup” in our lives, but in some ways it has given us some unexpected changes that have become a new way of life – for the better for some of us.
Many of us can’t remember how many years it has been since certain things took place. It feels like we lost a year – or more. Like we were in limbo for the first major covid attack on humanity. Certain memories are branded in our brains – of pain, of loss, of talking to loved ones over a fence because we couldn’t get any closer– It was a war that exploded into more wars of fears of vaccines, of getting sick, of wanting everyone to think and act like we do, as well as unnecessary political involvement, which confused every platform of our tired, on-edge brains and ripped families apart.
But let’s get beyond all of that. Let’s move forward into the changes. Like the fact that many of us got closer because we missed seeing each other in person, so we called or texted each other more frequently, we supported each other, and we Zoomed, Skyped, and Messenger or Google called our people, our loved ones. Maybe we couldn’t get the hugs we needed, but we got creative in how we stayed connected, how we helped people in need, people sick with covid or other ailments. Church services blossomed online, businesses were able to cut their overhead costs as people had to work from home, and families reconnected in ways that were totally unexpected and wonderful. Three of my adult children live two to five hours air flight away and we met weekly through most of that first year of shutdowns, and we still try to meet twice a month. I have loved saying that I’ve gotten to talk to my daughters more in the past three years than I have in the prior twenty years. One of our sons and his wife were able to move to our hometown, which enabled them to afford to purchase a house, all because our daughter-in-love had to work from home during covid, and she can continue to work from home.
Another big change that came out of covid for my side of the family was that because we were unable to have our large family Christmas gathering for two years, we decided it was time to drop the exchange of gifts for the children. Though I know it’s tough on my mom – we all want to see those faces lit with joy when they open gifts – we have all been so filled with delight, because in place of buying gifts for our children who have more than enough Christmas gifts given to them, we chose to collect the money that would have been spent and not only did we “adopt” a struggling family with Christmas gifts and more, but also made and stuffed over sixty stockings for a foster children’s agency. Pictures were shared as the stockings were being made, decorated and filled, enabling us to see the fun and the work that took place amongst those who were able to take the time to make and fill the stockings. And now we get to imagine those unknown faces lit with joy when they open gifts and stockings that they might not have otherwise gotten. And it is a wondrous thing. There really is more joy in giving than receiving.
Blessings, fortune smiling on us through trials, whatever you want to call it. If we look deep enough, we may find some joy despite our sorrows, blessings despite our circumstances, peace in place of our tortured souls. Change is our primary constant on this planet – bad and good. The bad can be turned for good if we look for ways to make it so, to move with the changes instead of fighting them. Let’s let the giving spirit of Christmas free in our hearts and see who we can bless instead of who we think should be blessing us. We’ll be transformed.
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