For a while now, I believe I have heard many people say something along the lines of, “the world has just become out of control these days”. I agree in many ways. On a personal level, it has been nearly impossible for me to keep up with everything I am supposed to do and want to do. I have spent much time contemplating how to slow life down. I want to stop and enjoy my children. I want to reconnect with friends. We are always “so busy”. There is never a good time. I’ll get to it next week. We can make plans to see each other once every few months. All of that is bullshit and not the way I want to live my life. People are important. Friends and family and strangers too, are the most important part of our lives. Human connection. Time to connect with others and to reflect on who we are as well. Time to connect with nature. Time to slow down.

Having a virus that pretty much shuts down life as we know it across the globe is a blessing in disguise. Listen, people dying is not a blessing. My own father who had underlying conditions died after developing pneumonia two years ago. I get it. I also have a daughter who is immunocompromised. We are used to washing our hands and many other precautions to keep her safe. So I get it. I pray for the families who have lost loved ones. But I also pray for the families who have lost their loved ones to cancer, car accidents, the flu, and any other way at all. Losing people sucks. Period.

But, here’s the thing. Here is where my faith comes in, my thinking beyond the current situation, the bigger picture. This is where you might want to stop reading if talk of God and faith bothers you or isn’t your thing. Because, guys, I believe and I believe BIG TIME in God. My faith is strong and I believe that is a blessing in and of itself!

I have spent months praying to God for life to somehow slow down and give me time to clean and organize things at home and, mostly, to be able to stop and relax with my kids. I got it. We all got it. We all needed it too! Just because we live under one roof doesn’t mean we are connected. We connect through family dinners, conversations, and snuggles. We connect through going through old pictures and telling and retelling stories. We connect through crying about missing dad and laughing about when he had diarrhea on the side of the road. My children connect with my deceased parents through pictures and stories and I smile as I know I am bringing generations together in our own way. The dog reminds us how nice it is when her head is on our laps and just how much she enjoys playing catch. Saying, “Sorry, but I’m too busy. You’ll have to wait” doesn’t exist. Attention is given and absorbed and appreciated!

We have the internet. How amazing of a tool is this? We can take time to facetime or skype or video chat in whatever way to connect with friends around the globe that we never get to chat with because of working and time differences and schedules! We can still get our time in to exercise and do it with live classes. We can take the time to go for a walk and enjoy things we don’t usually notice. We can look up recipes and bake and share goodies. We can use the internet to watch a Broadway play we might not have ever seen. We can decide to learn something new, take a course, learn a language and even do it together with our family.

Guys, the sky is clearer! God said, “You humans are out of control. I will fix this”. And He did! Air pollution has dramatically decreased. In places where there was only smog, there are now beautiful, blue skies! People who have had breathing problems will be noticing this difference as time goes on. Everyone will notice this difference! Water is cleaner. Spring is here and we will see it in more gorgeous ways than we could have imagined! The lens on our camera has been wiped clean. Our pictures will be crisp and new!

People are good, so so good. They always have been. We are seeing people come together. They are singing to each other from balconies across streets or through internet videos. We are checking on our neighbors like we should have done all along. We are encouraging each other. We are making each other laugh through some of the best, craziest memes I have ever seen. Companies are donating food and supplies. Many places are still doing what they can to pay employees. People are realizing how important small businesses are to our communities. Due to having to stop and be at home, many people are now sewing masks for hospitals and getting creative in other ways. I believe that people are learning about themselves and many will change careers or begin new adventures after this time to reflect.

We have amazing people fighting for us and going to work every single day to keep the world running and to make it healthy again. Healthcare workers, truck drivers, postal workers, firefighters, emts, paramedics, police officers, grocery store employees, and the list goes on. Many are working from home as well that are essential to the world running.

Teachers have scrambled and learned to teach online and change lessons in just a matter of days as schools closed around the globe. I am grateful to them. I know they care about my children. I’m hopeful that they will try and be easy on themselves and on parents. God is giving a new opportunity for our children to learn. God sees a world of people who know books, but not life. Parents working cannot oversee a child in their online courses. That is too much on their plate. Parents home are never lacking for something to do either. Taking this time as a break, for bonding instead of arguing over schoolwork, for learning life skills, and for connecting with families is a gift from God. I am hopeful that teachers and administrators will see and appreciate this as much as we as parents appreciate all they do every single day all year long to help our children.

So I say God has given us a gift. He has blessed us in disguise. He has changed the world. It needed to happen. We were killing ourselves and each other in far worse ways than this virus. God has made us stronger and smarter. God always has blessings. They are abundant.

We will get through this. We will do it together. I won’t say life will soon be back to “normal”. It won’t ever be the same, nor should we want it to be! Let’s embrace a new normal. Let’s keep checking on our neighbors, let’s hug more, let’s stop multitasking and, instead, enjoy one thing at a time being in that moment! Let’s make sure we shop local businesses. Take time to chat with others. Stop being in a rush. Schedule less so that you can do less and enjoy each thing more! Continue to read more books. Look at your children when they are talking to you. Stop and pay attention. See your old friends more than once or twice a year. Facetime more. Call more. Just to say hi.

We are all human. We are all doing our best. What is it that we should be doing our best at though? Let us all remember to be kind and enjoy the gifts around us every single day. And let each of us look in our hearts and always remember to keep our human connections and to take care of one another the way God takes care of each of us.