I always prefer to focus on gratitude, yet I hadn’t been feeling it this Thanksgiving week. So I posed a question to our community via Facebook: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wonder if you would share what uniquely 2020-related things you are thankful for? In this exceptional year, I thought we might move beyond … Continue reading Giving Thanks in An Exceptional Year
Tag: pandemic
How are you? No, really…
How are you? she asks, a simple question requiring an easy answer. But do we really have a simple answer? I could tell her I’m tired, weary in my bones and soul. So weary that sleep plays hide and seek through the dark hours, slipping through my grasp each time I think I’ve caught it. … Continue reading How are you? No, really…
When What’s Staggering Isn’t: Seeing Sad Truths
The US has now passed the staggering statistic of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths (global deaths are approaching one million). That’s the equivalent of:66 days of 9/11 attacks109 Hurricane KatrinasAlmost 1,200 Oklahoma City bombings1,450 full commercial planes, or eight plane crashes every day of our six-month quarantineThe combined US death toll from the wars in Korea, Vietnam, … Continue reading When What’s Staggering Isn’t: Seeing Sad Truths
9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)
A few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place, I knew I needed a different kind of spiritual discipline, one that focused my creative writing on Scripture God could use to lift me out of the sudden onset of anxiety. I began searching God’s Word for promises related to anxiety and fear, and what I needed … Continue reading 9 Prayers to Squelch Pandemic Panic (aka, anti-anxiety prayers)
3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 2
This is part 2 of a two-part series on anxiety. Read part 1 here. Let's jump right in. Here are a few things I'm finding helpful in dealing with anxiety: RoutinesThe pandemic taught me that I rely on imposed routines. When all normal routines vanished, it took me a while to find my way back … Continue reading 3 Things I’m Learning About Anxiety and 5 Things that Help – part 2
Reminder: YOU are Essential Even if You’re Not an Essential Worker
Essential: s·sen·tial/əˈsen(t)SHəl/adjectiveDefinition: absolutely necessary; extremely important. Who knew the word essential would take on such significance in 2020? At midnight on March 17, 2020, Californians were suddenly under lock-down orders due to an unprecedented pandemic. Everyone but essential workers would stay at home, leaving only for exercise (and that on foot or bike) or essential … Continue reading Reminder: YOU are Essential Even if You’re Not an Essential Worker
Pandemic Pause: Month 3
Tuesday marked three months since shelter-in-place (SIP) began in NorCal. We’re in Week 13. Other than exercise, out the door on my own two feet, I’ve left the house four times; three times I stayed in my car; I haven't interacted with more than a few people at a time. I recognize how incredibly fortunate … Continue reading Pandemic Pause: Month 3
My Five Things – Part 2
As I shared yesterday, I discovered a fun pandemic-related blog topic going around called "My Five Things." I started playing with the idea and got a little carried away, hence two posts. I'd love to read your five things, fun ways you are staying sane during these unusual days. If you're a blogger, tag me. … Continue reading My Five Things – Part 2