Gratitude in Challenging Times

Last week, my wife and I, unbeknownst to the other, wrote a piece on life during Covid-19. Mine was a bit “technical,” her’s was more “personal.” Here’s a glimpse into our family’s life during this pandemic. #Coronavirus #Covid-19 #familylife

• 

Our girls get to go to school with our dog during this pandemic.

At lunch today, we went around the table with each person sharing something they are thankful for. This practice isn’t new to our family, but we usually do it sitting around our Thanksgiving Day feast.

Today was different because we are wrapping up week 7 of being at home; working, doing school, and attending church worship remotely. Like so many people, we have participated in extended family “gatherings”, Bible studies, prayer meetings, team meetings, game nights, and check-ins using Google Duo, Zoom, Skype, GoToMeeting, MS Teams, FaceTime, and a few other technologies. I’ve gone through three different headsets and am still in search of the right ones that are comfortable and work consistently with the various conferencing options I’ve been using (without breaking the bank).

Of course, in a household of 3 teenaged girls, there have been tears, laughter, irritability, stir-craziness, silliness, and arguing. Ok, that’s mostly me. We’ve experienced moments of anger, grief & loss, loneliness, isolation, restlessness, frustration, and sadness. Sometimes all in one day! But we’ve also shared in celebration, community, productivity, and new learning.

We’ve learned to sew facemasks out of cloth, how to thread a sewing machine, embroider small flowers, hearts, and other cute things onto clothing and facemasks, bake madeleines and homemade bread, give haircuts to each other, and to design online learning modules.

We live with one day blending into another, never really sure what day of the week it is or what month even! Now I understand why prisoners mark the wall with the number of days they’ve been detained. We’ve instituted Taco Tuesdays and Pajama Fridays to help break up the week and help us recognize what day we’re on. When our youngest is finished with her work for the week, she plays “Celebration” by K.o.o.l and the Gang and we dance together for a few minutes.

We’ve found different ways for us to cope with the changes to our routines. We have a somewhat flexible daily schedule, a whiteboard to help us track key information like whether the dog has been fed and a menu for the day’s meals. We’ve learned to respect each other’s space, especially while on calls or recording an assignment to submit.

And in the midst of it, we have found so much that we are grateful for. We went around the table 10 times today with some of us sharing 2 things at a time because there was so much we are thankful for. We had to cap it at 10 rounds because we had meetings and work to get to after lunch. I wasn’t sure if they would cooperate, but was so encouraged.

-Lauren

What does your life during this pandemic look like? Please share in the comments below.