Wednesday, September 9, 2020

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” (3 John 1:2, New Living Translation)

                 The headline is startling: “Half a million US kids diagnosed with Covid.”

                It makes me pause, anyway. Of our seven grandchildren, three of them are going into elementary school (William, Henry and Spencer) and two others (Declan, Amelia and Beckett) are going into day care this Autumn, with a fourth (Naomi) in January.  Along with that reality, there is also the fact that two of our adult children (Nick and Katie) are school teachers. When the provincial government tries to assure us that they have a sound plan for the re-opening of schools, be very skeptical. Although there is some chaos to be expected in these unusual and difficult circumstances, I am witnessing too much confusion, miscommunication and sometimes, just plain stubborn stupidity coming from the top. It adds to the stress of students, teachers, parents and grandparents.

                On top of that, we have two nurses in our family. Maggie works at the hospital in Goderich. Erin returns to work at Sick Kids in Toronto this month, after her maternity leave is over. Krista returns to work in January at the University of Waterloo, Nate is an essential service worker in a medical chemical company. Our family is heavily invested in the current Covid culture.  As are many, many others.

                Hoping and praying that all remain healthy in body and spirit is the least that those of us who are on the sidelines can do.  But I will confess that it almost hardly seems to scratch the surface. But  neither can we simply put everyone in a protective bubble as much as we would like to try. Life goes on, even during a pandemic. So, I am hoping and praying!

               Stay healthy. Stay strong.

                And pray!    

               God has great compassion for the vulnerable, for children, for those exposed to the side-effects of harm and suffering.  Pray that the right vaccines soon became available. Pray for your families. Pray for the front-line workers. Pray for governments to make wise and compassionate decisions.

               Stay healthy. Stay strong.

                And trust!

              Words alone are not going to protect our loved ones from harm. Our words become stronger when they are influenced by faith and bolstered by our confidence in God. We are not alone. We are not abandoned. We have a strong ally. We have a source of strength. We are embraced in Love.

                Stay a healthy. Stay strong.

                And act.

                Let’s not kid ourselves. All of us need to cooperate in doing our part to fight Covid. Ignoring it is not an option. Wishing it to go away is not an option. But we can set examples in our families by doing the right things, e.g. wearing a mask. God expects us to be smart and responsible even as God helps us against this disease. Protect our families. Protect our neighbours. Protect the stranger. It is amazing how we see our prayers answered when we actively become part of God’s process and response. God doesn’t want to go it alone anymore than we do!

                So to all the children going back to school, to the teachers,  to school custodians, to the secretarial staff, to all on the frontlines everywhere  – stay healthy; stay strong. The Lord is with you!

 

Dale