Where have I been?
At home – most of the time – as most of the world.
I had a head start. On January 25, 2020, my hubby fell during a game of pickle ball two days after we’d arrived for a brief vacation in Florida. We spent the next 52 hours in three ERs, one of them a trauma ER, and time in a hospital room. Hubby had ruptured a kidney.
The good news: he didn’t require surgery. The bleeding stopped. Other good news: I felt wrapped in prayer as I sat beside him. My friends and family prayed as I leaned into Jesus for His strength.
Our vacation ended January 25 and we entered our “stay at home” mindset. Any activity caused him additional pain, so my eyes and heart focused on two things, my faith and his health. Keeping him as comfortable as possible became a new routine along with prayers, devotional reading, and communicating with people concerned about him.
When Covid-19 spread across the nation, we stayed the course donning masks if we needed to leave our home, which wasn’t often. Sewing masks and PPE gowns for those in need joined my daily schedule.
Staying at home, many UFO (UnFinished Objects) in my sewing closet to move to the completed pile.
What I learned:
1. I’m not in control. I try to manage my reaction to life events and pray for guidance.
2. My growth in my faith depends on what I put into it. After almost a year of celebrating Mass from my living room via live streaming, I must discipline myself to read, study, and pray in my home.
3. Connection with family and friends are important to me. As an extrovert in all upper case letters, alone time didn’t feed me energy level. Online chats and phone calls kept me upright when things felt hard. NAMI support group moved online as did my Bible study.
4. No matter what happens in life, I am cherished and loved by our Lord.
In 2021, I hope to spend more time keeping in touch with you, my followers.
Bye for now.
Virginia Pillars, Author 