Facing Our Fears
Ever since Covid started in 2020 I have had a great fear that I would contract it or that someone I love would suffer from it. And indeed, many many people I know have now had it , including our oldest son who is currently home from work and trying to recover.
I have breathing issues as it is so I /we have been most diligent in doing everything from washing our groceries for two years to doing all the ‘right’ things like wearing masks (sometimes doubled) to hand washing constantly and of course social distancing. We even stayed away from our beloved church for many months as we were allowed to attend mass online.
And then came Omicron. This variant ( what ‘wave’ are we even IN now?) was first reported on November 24th, 2021 based on information from WHO about this newest mutating virus from South Africa.
We had some scares this Christmas with all the colds that came in our home from our travelling families but were happy to take the rapid tests from our pharmacy and find out we all tested negative and we could enjoy each other’s company for the first time in three years .
When our daughter tested positive after our week together we distanced from her and her partner, we took rapid tests to confirm we were clear, and all of us still felt fine right up until the last day with family when we felt colds coming on. Not surprising as there were lots of sneezes from the little ones.
This morning, after five days of really brutal colds we decided to take another rapid Covid test each and we both received positive results. Ugh!
Fear. How easily it can slip under your skin and get your heart racing.
How fast one can change from trusting that all is well to instantly going to the worst conclusion : “What if…..?”
How does one stop being afraid?
I try first of all to look at all the positives about the situation. ( Positives? Can there be positives?)
I am SO happy that we are triple vaxxed. I am aware of how much worse symptoms can be for the unvaccinated.
I am happy that we can still smell and taste . I’m happy that we have the blessing of being able to stay home .
And I’m especially grateful that we are not alone. We have each other. We have friends and family like you to talk to and pray with and we have the knowledge that ‘God’s got this!’
Deuteronomy 31:8 "He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Terry and I have very low energy so we aren’t doing too much. ( We now have both sons and one daughter who are recovering well .) The Christmas decor may stay up past Epiphany . But slowing down to heal can shift our priorities back to a place of trust and peace if we stay close to God and trust in his mercy.
I pray you don’t get Covid. But if you do, know that you are not alone. Try not to be too fearful.
We can lift each other up in prayer and encourage each other with a phone call or email.
This too shall pass.
Be not afraid.
(Below, a recent drawing from one of our six year old grandsons……)
