Pandemic Protocol

My first thought when I heard about the plague coming around the world was, "I think this speaks of the end time. I have to look it up in Revelation."

My concern rose when our son brought us two weeks of food - mostly staples like protein bars, meat sauces to mix with rice or noodles, chicken broth for soup, canned vegetables and fruits. Our daughter brought us T.P. and disinfectant wipes. They both knew my method of shopping was to wait until I was out or nearly out of food before I shopped again.

I checked on our supply of Clorox and rubbing alcohol, and I found our oral thermometer. I really didn't feel panicky, but rather awestruck as I asked myself, "Is this the way the end comes, not necessarily for myself, but for my family, my country, the whole earth?"

During the next week, we kind of hunkered down and followed the news. Within a few days, during my regular Bible study time, it seemed God gave me a list of what I should do. This became my reaction to the pandemic.
1. Think clearly.
2. Rely on Jesus.
3. Manage resources well.
4. Obey sanitary rules.
5. Follow my routine.
6. Live one day at a time.

I thought about cleaning out cupboards and closets and even the garage, but I didn't do it. I thought about writing, but that didn't happen either. I thought about what my mother had done with us kids before antibiotics, when we had contagious diseases. There was Milk of Magnesia to assure bowel movements, peroxide, mercurochrome, and iodine for wounds, and there was isolation.

We were confined to bed in our bedrooms when we had measles, chickenpox, or flu. When my sister had Scarlet Fever, I was sent to my Grandmother's for two weeks. During isolation in our rooms,we played with toys on the bed, read, or listened to the radio. We were not allowed to come out except to go to the bathroom. All food, delivered on a tray, was eaten in bed. Our temperature was taken regularly, and we were not allowed to interact with siblings until it maintained 98.6 for at least a day. Three days later we could return to school. Interestingly, my husband rarely missed a day of school.

We are now in our fifth month of shelter-in-place. The hardest part for me has been to accept new ways of doing things. I make a grocery list on my computer and my groceries are delivered by Instacart, mostly what I want although some brands may be different. We changed pharmacies so we could go through a drive-thru to pick up prescriptions. We go to doctor appointments with masks on, and we attend church at home using Zoom.

As I look back, and also look to the future, all that doesn't seem so hard. I think the suddenness took us by surprise, but we have learned. The world hasn't ended yet. We have taken rides together in the surrounding countryside, had pick-up lunches beside a lake and watched the geese parent their new goslings, and ventured into grocery stores during the early hours reserved for "at-risk" patrons. Our family has gotten together in our backyard using social distancing and bringing their own food and drink. We have finally let the cleaning ladies back into our house every other week, and eventually I'll go to the beauty shop to get a cut and have some color put back on my hair. I'm not fond of long, motley gray.

My overall feeling, if I have one, has been that this is a time of waiting. It is hard to wait, and if you give in to it, you can become irritable and restless. So, I go back to what God told me. I start my day with "God time" so I can think clearly. I follow my normal routine so there is order to my day, and I'm beginning to add writing, socializing, and some deep cleaning. If God hasn't opened other doors yet, I'll wait, and continue to praise Him from the hallway.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita