COVID-19, a term that only a few months ago we had never heard of, but one that has become all too familiar. COVID-19 actually means coronavirus disease of 2019, and originated in the Wuhan Province of China, sometime in the fall or winter of 2019. Once escaping the boundaries of China it swept across the world’s landscape like a Saharan sandstorm, catching most countries completely off-guard and unprepared for what lay ahead. And what did lie ahead? No one really knew, as this was a novel virus meaning that is was brand new and little was known about it. The swiftness of the virus was shocking, to say the least. I first heard rumblings of the disease affecting Washington state back in January, but paid it little attention, as my thoughts and efforts were occupied with the tasks of normal living. I had no idea how quickly normal would change. On Monday, March 9, the first day of Spring Break, I covered a baseball tournament hosted by Louisville High School. Six or eight teams participated and brought with them their assorted fans. It was a fun day interacting with the players and fans, and not once did I hear the word coronavirus. People had other, more important things on their mind, such as cheering their respective teams to victory. I had a full schedule of assignments already on my calendar for the next week, not knowing that by that Monday schools, and all of their associated activities, would be shut down for the remainder of the year. It was on the Wednesday of Spring Break that COVID-19 invaded my world. That day, I went to visit my father who is a resident of the senior care facility, on the Winston Medical Center campus. When I entered, I was called aside by one of the staff members who told me that beginning at 6 p.m. that Friday the facility would be locked down due to the virus. To say that I was stunned is an understatement of massive proportions. Where was this coming from? To my knowledge, at that time, there were no cases of the virus in Mississippi, yet here we were faced with separation from our father. I was careful to not mention the lock down to him, until I had a chance to notify my siblings and other family members. We had to ascertain what would and would not be allowed as my father was accustomed to having visitors every day. For a man who had given his life for his family, my brothers and sisters, and I were determined that his every need was taken care of. And now, without warning, we were told that we could not be with him. Of all of the changes wrought by COVID-19 this has been the most difficult to deal with. I have shed tears over missing those regular visits, and when he turned 91 on April 22 it broke my heart that we could not be with him. Thankfully, we are allowed to deliver things that he needs, which is a comfort. But an even greater blessing is a friend who works in his cottage who helps us make video calls from time to time. It’s not the same as being able to hold his hand, but it’s so much better than the alternative. Whenever I talk with Daddy he says he’s doing fine, that he loves us and is praying for us, which is heartening but we still miss him terribly. The virus has affected me personally, in that I am a very high risk individual, according to my doctor, due to a severe chronic asthma condition. It feels very strange knowing that something as mundane as grocery shopping could be hazardous to my health, but so it is. But every person within my sphere of friends, family and acquaintances has been affected to some degree. I know those who have lost family and friends to the virus, so my situation is not so bad, after all. As we have discovered, this pandemic is very serious as millions have contracted the disease and tens-of-thousands have died, in our nation alone. When will it all end? When will this all be over, and when can we expect a vaccine? Will there be a second wave? We have no answers to those questions. All we can do is to take the necessary precautions, trust in God and continue to live our lives, hoping and praying that this too shall pass. And we must strive to find the good in all of this. Families have reconnected, we have learned to not take for granted our friends and families, we have discovered how much we miss our church families and so much more. So, let us strive to endure and be thankful for the blessings.
