While I Have Your Attention….

I am lying in bed tonight purposefully not turning on the news. I got a phone call about a lady who attended my former church who passed away from this virus. It has hit home hard. Not that it hasn’t already this week. I mean we are living in some kind of reality that most of us have never seen.

I think back to my time in high school and I remember a man predicted the world was going to end at a certain time on a certain day. We were in Wendy’s and we all watched the clock and as the time passed we sighed with relief. The same with Y2K. Talk about buying toilet paper…We just knew that was the end. My cousin and I laid in bed convinced we’d not make it. Ironically we woke up and made it through til today.

I mean fast forward to 2020..my parents are quarantined, my kids are at home for who knows how long and my business has kind of been in question. I get the fear. Trust me. I don’t like the new normal. I do like aspects of it. My kids are really more resilient than I am. They have to be on their own and do their work without my supervision. I am trying to work as long and as often as I can because who knows when that will stop. So I clean and disinfect and thank the lord I work in a small salon with small traffic.(no statement more true)

I mean our grandkids will read about this in their history class. This will be,from what I remember, the first time the world has basically shut down other then grocery stores, hospitals and such. I think about how stressed out I can get over such trivial things and tonight my little was blissful that she made it into NEHS. The highlight of her day. In the middle of this chaos.

I assume this is the part where I suggest we find the joy in this. The rainbow. I’ll find it. I mean my heart is heavy but I’ll find it. My kids aren’t jumping up and down to do chores and I feel certain I can’t pretend that every morning this week we have woke up singing but we are finding the joys. I go in for customers and I appreciate them trusting me and knowing their wellness is my greatest concern. Pam said tonight she had prayed over the salon and each chair as she cleaned it. I think I just feel like for me I have more questions then answers. It’s been this way since October 18th… that night I was forever changed and although I’ve had some ABSOLUTELY AMAZING life changing moments since then, it’s always in the back of my mind. I think about my cousin facing her husbands illness and how strong she’s been this entire time. Or how maybe God is letting her girls be at home during this time to be near her and Scott.

I guess I typically have my thoughts all together and this is the first blog where they are all scrambled. I worry have I poured into my girls enough. Is this how their school year will end ? At home? Will I ever order online again?(sorry it’s funny but true) How many people will I do in my basement salon and can Tracy and I clean it enough? lol… I do enjoy chatting with old friends, catching up on tv and laundry. Seeing the good come out in people like it did on “9-11.” We are a nation that is good. Sure…we are all crazy as hell but for the most part we are good at the core. So be thankful tonight. If you are employed and have a paycheck. If you are healthy. If your not in an ICU or have a family member who is in there. If you have kids who maybe aren’t perfect but they still find joy in small things like playing beauty shop with their mom. Do random acts. Love on someone… from a social distance. Send them a card or text. Reach out to your family. The ones who are isolated. Buy gift cards to small businesses if you are able. That might sustain them for a while. Just find the rainbow in something. I’m trying hard to find it. Pray for your pastors and anyone who is in healthcare. Pray for whoever you want. Pray for our president whether you like him or not. Bottom line be an encourager. Tell people “they matter.”I know Wade Chitwood is laughing because I say it every single time but really it never gets old. Just remember we are in this together and just like “9-11” we will get through this and be stronger from it. Have to believe it!! I just do.