The Learning Curve---COVID 19: Part One

THE LEARNING CURVE---COVID 19: Part One

Around the Curve is the Unknown

Curves bring challenges because they differ so greatly from a straight line. Your life's highway may have been straight for months, or even years. 

Perhaps you even had life mapped out, but COVID-19 really threw you a curve.

Someone mentioned that high school seniors are disappointed in cancelled plans for senior prom and graduation. College students may graduate, but not walk down the aisle or toss their caps in the air to celebrate.

Consider the heavier burdens of heads of households who have lost their jobs. Even temporary loss will bring financial hardships.

And what about workers who lost childcare and have younger children home from school?

Not everyone lives near family willing to help out in hard times. But friends and neighbors can also be a blessing. Consider Proverbs 17:17 in The Message Bible: Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

My family is very supportive, but we do not live in the same town. I enjoy their phone calls and texts, and our personal visits are always fun. But I'm grateful for friends and neighbors near by in times of need.

For example, my car was out of commission for a few days. COVID-19 had just hit and I had not been to the store. While giving me a ride to church, my neighbor mentioned she had bought an extra pack of toilet paper to give away.

I said, "I didn't think about that. I'll see what I have and give you a call." That afternoon I walked over to her house and gratefully returned with a 9-roll pack of TP.

My first learning curve: Be Alert, Plan Further Ahead, and Be Willing to Share.

Teddy Bears are Fun Toys

My life has been brightened by phone calls. A Texas friend said her town created a Teddy Bear Hunt. Citizens were asked to set a bear in a window. "My window was too dark," she said, "so my bear sat on the porch flag pole."

Families kept proper social distancing as they drove down the streets, but I smiled thinking of young children hunting for bears.

Cell phone communications have also been boosters. A friend in San Diego sent photos of nearly empty freeways. Having been in California gridlock many times, I had to see it to believe it. But best of all, she was sharing her life with me.

My second learning curve: Stay connected . . . Reach Out Via a Phone Call, Text of Favorite Social Media. 

(Next Week: The Learning Curve---COVID-19: Part Two)

Pandemic Panic or Peace

PANDEMIC PANIC or PEACE

A Worldwide Challenge

The Corona Virus . . . who in the world is not familiar with it? It's a contagious disease with no antidote. Governments are responding with quarantines and restricted travel, plus closure of restaurants, bars and schools. The economic impact is horrendous.

As a friend and I shopped five stores looking eggs, I saw with my own eyes the results of panic. All five stores were completely out of these items: paper goods, cleaners, canned goods, staples, dairy products and eggs.

Hoarding has become a byword. Think of it as a supply stored up and kept hidden or in reserve. Hoarders are not known for generosity.

As of Now, Required Respite

Personal activity is hindered since government officials have requested no unnecessary travel. There is constant reference to social distancing. 
People are not to meet in groups of more than ten. Churches are closed, and for me it means no Bible study or Grief Share group till further notice.

I often remain at home two or three days at a time. The difference is knowing I'm free to go out. The pandemic is requiring forced isolation for an unspecified amount of time.

If there was ever a time to be flexible and count my blessings, it's now. Life is always improved with a positive attitude.

A friend called and said she was praying Psalm 91 over me.

The Bible is an Option for Personal Peace

The Psalm is very familiar. I knew a man who lived to a ripe old age who would get up in church and say, "I'm going to share my insurance policy." He would then quote all sixteen verses perfectly! You can look it up for yourself . . . I did.

If you don't have a Bible, use an internet device to download a Bible app, such as the YouVersion in modern English.

Meditation on Psalm 91 brought four questions to mind. The answering verses are beside them:

           1.  What Should I Do?  (Verses 1, 2, 9, 10)

           2.  What Will Be the Answers to My Prayers?  (Verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 13)

           3.  Why Would God Hear My Prayers?  (Verses 14, 15, 16)

           4.  What Will God Do?  (Verses 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 16)

Be Wise. Take all the healthy precautions to stay well. Then check out Psalm 91 for promises of personal peace. 

The Importance of Me and You

THE IMPORTANCE of ME and YOU

Positive Communication Is NOT All Me!

These two little words . . . me and you . . . are filled with potential for stress. It used to amuse me when people would say, “It must be so nice to work in a church!” Here’s the truth: Communication skills and a desire for teamwork are important no matter where you work.

In today’s high-tech world, employers are still looking for these “soft skills.”

Put people together and it seems challenges remain the same. Note this fifteenth century comment by *Thomas A Kempis: It is no easy matter to live in a monastery or in any form of community life, to pass your days without bickerings, and to persevere faithfully until death.

What stood out to me was the phrase “any form of community life.” Isn’t that what our lives are? Community? From birth to death? Simply put, community means living with others.

Put Positive Ideas To Work For You

Practical suggestions for community life in Bible times sound like this in today’s English: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (Philippians 2:2-4, The Message Bible).

Most people desire to create a win-win situation for themselves and others. But sometimes aggressive people bog down the process. To them ME always outranks YOU.

Let’s be positive. Consider the scope of my poem, and draw your own conclusions:

WORDS of LIFE

Darlis Sailors

Words have length and words have power

Say “I” and it marks my place

The world is big, and I am in it

Say “you” and life gets larger

I admit that there are others

I have a place, but so do you

You and I can join as one

Show strength as “we,” a force for change

We, as a team, produce good or evil

Alone I am one, my choice

With you, I must learn to give

Our spaces touch and new vision emerges

How will we live, part you---part me

Our plan is formed with give and take

Small words of life with power

(copyright, 2016)

*The Imitation of Christ: The Inspirational Teachings of Thomas A Kempis, Book 1, Chapter XVII, On The Monastic Life, p. 42, Translated by Stephen MacKenna, 2006, Sacred Wisdom by Watkins Publishing, London.

Pay It Forward

PAY IT FORWARD

I was familiar with this phrase because I saw the movie years ago. What I didn’t know was that the movie was loosely based on a novel.

Movies Can Be Inspiring

In Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, a junior high teacher gives his social studies class a challenging assignment: Think of an idea to change the world for the better, then put it into action.

We all know about paying it back, but one student came up with the creative idea of paying it forward.

A friend laughingly told me of paying it forward in a Starbucks drive-through. She saw one person in the car behind her and said, “I’ll pay for his order, too.” It turned out he was ordering for several other people. She said, “I won’t take one person in a car for granted again.”

The New Restaurant Had A Good Chef

A pay it forward came my way this week. I was trying out a new restaurant and found both food and service excellent. That’s why I thought it strange to wait so long for my bill. Finally, my waiter came and said, “Your dinner was paid for by your friends over there.” He pointed across the room to a couple I did not know.

Someone must have paid it forward, I thought. Then I wondered what’s the protocol? Should I say thank you or let them remain anonymous? As I walked by their table I signaled “OK” and mouthed “thank you.” The lady nodded and I kept on walking.

I walked back to my car with a big smile on my face. That surprise really made my day!

You Can Be An Example To Others

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35 NLT). And Paul, The Apostle, complimented some believers by saying, “You excel in so many ways . . . excel also in this gracious act of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7, NLT).

Just remember paying it forward does not always involve money. Good deeds work, too. It’s what some call random acts of kindness, thinking of others, not yourself. A street sign near me puts it this way: “Less Egos, More Amigos.”

A Tip for Heart Health

A TIP for HEART HEALTH

I’ve been thinking of a comment made by a friend. She said, “I know you went through *cancer treatments. I suppose you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Men's Shoes Can Be Heavy

The thought rather startled me. I pictured someone holding a heavy man’s shoe over my head. If it dropped, I was going to get hurt. I could face the reality of that, but on the other hand I felt living in fear was no way to live.

I gave my heart a quick search before I replied. “No, I haven’t felt that way because right from the start I believed God was with me. I chose to put my faith in Him and His Word.”

For example, I found encouragement in John 14:27.  First, Jesus said He would give us His marvelous peace, then He gave some personal instructions.

In the Amplified Bible it says, “Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid---stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.”

Nothing could be plainer, but in the face of a cancer diagnosis how could I not be troubled?

Do not let means to withhold your permission from someone or something. I realized cancer would be a long journey. If I lived with a heart full of agitation, fear and intimidation, I would have no one to blame but myself.

Allow No Nesting Room for Negative Thoughts 

I was familiar with the saying you can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest there.

In addition to reading scripture and praying, I took notice of my thoughts. I allowed negative thoughts no landing space. Positive thoughts, good humor and laughter were always welcome.

How is your emotional heart health? Rooting out negativity is a great tip. But like all self-care, only you can do it for you!

*In 2007 I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. I had both a lump and Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), which is rare. While I was in treatments for nearly a year (chemo, surgery, and radiation), friends and family joined me in prayer for full recovery. I had a modified radical mastectomy in which I lost my left breast and eighteen lymph nodes. For ten years I had follow-up every six months. At that point my oncologist said, “You’re a walking miracle.” I still have yearly checkups, and continue to pray for God’s mercy upon my life.