Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Early on Day 2 of the Quarantine and lots of thoughts

First, I want to thank the dozens upon dozens of prayers and good wishes from many of you who follow my blog and my FB page.  Wendy and I are just waiting, still very hopeful for good test results come Friday.  Wendy is sleeping comfortably(yes it's 11:30 in the morning) but she was up late.  This morning her fever appears to be close to normal and she has not been coughing during her time of sleep.  I think her C-Pap machine is very helpful when you have things like coughs or sinus issues.  Wendy is taking a medication prescribed by her doctor that many of us take when we have a bad cold or a sinus infection.  To me, it appears to be helping.

Her time home is both a matter of precaution and healing.  Whatever this is, and we pray it is not Covid-19, it has her down and out.  For me, my time home is prudent and proper, it is what every medical professional recommends as well as the CDC.  So by staying home I am trying to do my part to not get anyone else sick, particularly if Wendy's tests come back positive.  Again, we pray this not be the case.

I know this, for me, who really craves people, this is quite the sacrifice.  Everything in me wants to get up, go to work, follow my routine, head over to the church for Bible Study or Mass or Adoration and then drive up to Rayburn to be with the men of the St. Peter's Catholic Community of Rayburn Correctional.  All these things I know I can not do; not now.  So I cling to the hope that I will be doing all of this and more as soon as it is prudent and safe and I can be ruled out as a risk.  For me, I do feel fine but my thoughts are occupied by Wendy's illness and pending tests results.

You know in this time of both a medical and a financial crisis I am amazed at the spirit of the people of our community, state and nation and of people of faith.  For the Catholic I predict that a robust return to Mass and the Sacraments awaits and all houses of worship will see an uptick in participation.  I see in all this online ministry a great hunger from the people who long to be gathered in worship.  For the Catholic there appears to be a great desire to reunite with the Eucharist again.  For now we watch online and we pray sincerely a prayer of Spiritual Communion.  I applaud the efforts of ministers, Priests, pastors, Deacons, staff and others who are keeping us connected and working so hard and praying for and with us.

When this subsides, and how I wish subsiding was sooner than later, maybe we too will be a changed people.  I know for me there will be a better appreciation for doctors, specialists, nurses and pharmacists as well as all who work to keep our health care system running, even during a medical crisis.  I also believe there will be an increase in appreciation for teachers, grocers, truck drivers, first responders and small business owners.  I hope this will happen and be so very evident.  And maybe we will just all be more appreciative of one another and learn what kindness and compassion looks like, even in a post pandemic world.

I don't mind telling you that for me this time, even before Wendy's illness, has been a time of great growth in relationship with God.  I realize how much we are dependent on God and how He is always there for us no matter what.  Many of us depend on the formalities of worship but this crisis has helped us, in my humble opinion, to pray always and anywhere; which many do always.

So continue to soldier on everyone and pray for one another, demonstrate kindness and compassion.  Yes I will ask you to continue to pray for Wendy both in her recovery and a negative test results soon.

God Bless Us All!

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