God bless those of you who are on the front lines.
We will stay home to try to ease your burden.
You are the big heroes.
We are the little heroes.
But heroes, none the less.
From Melinda:
Today I join you all in trying to balance the details of this new life.
I am lucky to still be working. I am proud to be a nurse, and happy to go take care of mamas welcoming new babies into the world. Even if it looks a little different today than it did a few weeks ago. And I never planned on having my school aged children home 24/7. I never planned on homeschool, or social distancing, or the anxiety of not knowing what I may be walking into with my hospital nursing job.
But. We can do hard things.
I tell my patients this a lot. When labor gets hard, and they want to quit. We can do hard things. Especially for our babies. We can do hard things.
So, today. I remind myself of this. This is going to be hard. This is going to be stressful, but we have to show each other grace. This is going to be stressful, but we have to be active in forgiveness. This is going to be stressful, but we must practice patience. This is going to be stressful, but we have to be kind. This is going to be stressful, but the sun will still rise tomorrow. This is going to be stressful, but we will do our best.
We will do our best. We can do hard things.
And we don’t have to do them on our own. We are all doing this together. With our family, with our friends, with this sisterhood of other women and other mamas next door and around the world. We are entering into this great challenge, this great responsibility, with an entire world of support.
And how lucky are we? To have fridges full of food, and access to world class healthcare, and warm houses, and books, and electronic devices for learning and entertainment. We have yards in which to play, and roads that are safe for travel.
And we have so many helpers. The grocery store workers, the delivery drivers, the farmers, and manufacturers, the civil servants, the teachers, the healthcare workers. They are all working and adapting and helping us along the way.
Am I sacred? Yes. Am I uncertain? Absolutely. Am I stressed? A little. But am I still oh so very blessed? More than ever. I am holding onto faith. I am practicing joy. I am searching for peace.
We are doing our best. Because we can do hard things. ***** Thank you Melinda. Just perfect. Yes. I love that....We can do hard things. Encourage one another, Donna
"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and
never forget that until the day when God shall deign to
reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in
these two words, -- `Wait and hope.'
Your friend,
"Edmond Dantes, Count of Monte Cristo."
This is Finlandia sung by Cantus Isn't it the most beautiful song....
1. This is my song, O God of all the nations, A song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is; Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine. But other hearts in other lands are beating, With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
2. My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight too and clover, And skies are everywhere as blue as mine. O hear my song, O God of all the nations, A song of peace for their land and for mine.
3. This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms: Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done. Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him, And hearts united learn to live as one. O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations; Myself I give thee, let thy will be done.
Text: vv. 1-2 Lloyd Stone (1912-1993), v.3 Georgia Harkness (1939) Tune: FINLANDIA 11 10. 11 10. 11 10, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) I just spotted this on Facebook and thought I'd pass it on. Thanks Tom Faller....old friend from Marinette :o) Waiting and hoping with the whole world. Donna
Stephanie and her husband, Vicar Scott, share the Noonday Office. I think it is perfect and comforting. I plan to pray this with them every day at Noon.
I am staying home and saving lives.
How about you?
How are you and your families?
We are well.
Katie's college is closed so she will be coming home soon.
I visited Emma in Missouri last week. She is still unable to drive so she has been in isolation since River was born.
Now don't get all excited....River does not have red hair. It's a teeny red but my Nikon loves to add red to pictures. We had a super fun time getting to know one another. She loves my singing!!
My favorite song to sing to her is Close to You by the Carpenters. I have a hard time remembering words to songs...but ones I learned when I was young seem to stick with me.
Even Baby Beluga is beyond me. I've heard it 500 times....but who knows what Raffi is saying?
Weird huh?
Melinda and Matthew had a scare as Melinda's mom was at the special olympics in Omaha that had the covid-19 case....Ezekiel stayed with them a time or two before they know that they had been exposed. I am very thankful that Carol Sue's family isolated and they did not come down with the virus. Zekie is fine too. So very thankful. Melinda is on the front lines as a nurse. She is feeling anxious. Could you pray for her.
I never imagined my tendency to laziness would be virtuous.
