Making Lemonade
The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bit brighter.
It’s been 1 month, 21 days, and 8 hours since schools (and pretty much everything else) officially shut down.
It feels like forever, but at the same time, it doesn’t quite feel long enough.
In a church service I streamed a couple weeks ago, they were talking about “getting back to normal”, and how some things about our “normal” are good, and some other things aren’t so good.
I can’t wait to be able to go out to dinner with my husband again. I can’t wait to go to church and see my church family. I can’t wait to go to the beach, and I’m DYING to go to the dog park. I can’t wait to hug my family members and friends, and I want to be able to invite people over whenever I want. I am SO looking forward to running errands without a mask on. And guys, if I’m being completely honest, I really just want to go to HomeGoods. I miss it so much. HomeGoods is my spirit store, and it just always seems to know exactly what I need. Yes, NEED.
What I don’t miss is being busy and stressed out doing 1,000 things. I don’t miss having something scheduled almost every weeknight and having fully booked weekends. I don’t miss not having time to do things I like to do, and I don’t miss leaving my house every day for some kind of errand. I like being home. I like making cakes and playing with my dogs. I like seeing my husband for more than 15 minutes every day, and I LOVE focusing on the important things: faith, family, friends, love, joy, and peace.
As a whole, I think this quarantine has been great for a lot of families to really sit down and have time with each other to communicate, laugh, work on projects and just to be a family that’s not constantly pulled in a hundred different directions.
Are we having a blast staying home 24/7? No, not particularly, but I truly believe it has helped us to grow into something beautiful. I’ve seen so many people think outside the box to find ways to connect and serve others in their own way.
Life dumped a truckload of lemons on us, and we’re making lemonade.
Photographers have done drive-by photoshoots in people’s front yard. Neighbors have come together to help each other out. People are making videos to bring joy and laughter to others. Communities are celebrating graduations and birthdays with drive by parades and special deliveries. Teachers are using whatever tools they have at home to nurture their students. Friends are hosting watch parties for movies and having Zoom game nights. Handwritten letters are being mailed. Meals and coffee are donated and provided to essential workers. There is so much effort put into brightening someone else’s day. We are all doing our part to help each other, and my goodness, it makes my little heart burst with joy.
As for my part, I’ve been trying to support small businesses in my own community whenever I can. When ordering our fencing material, I found a local fencing company, Split Rail Fence Store, that actually had a better deal than Home Depot. We ordered our Easter cake from the best bakery in the state, Sweet Melissa’s. On Monday, my grandmother and I visited Powers Farm on the other side of my tiny town for some produce (also ice cream!!) and we picked up some delicious fresh vegetables and meats. As it turns out, the lady who owned the farm had also been my family’s mail deliverer for 11 years!! What a small world! I mean, that’s Delaware for ya, but it was fun chatting with her and making that connection. Shopping small has been so good for my soul, and these small conversations have helped me to feel more connected to my community than I have in a long time. It just feels good to know you’re helping someone else provide for their family when you’re buying the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted. We will definitely be back for more! More helping others, not just ice cream….but also more ice cream.
This isn’t the first time a disease has spread like wildfire. It’s actually happened many times before, but this is the first time I’ve experienced it, and most others are probably in the same boat It’s scary and difficult to remain positive, but friends, We. Are. Doing. It. We’ve been doing it for weeks. We have been pushing through together, checking in on each other, and spending more quality time than ever before. We have learned to show up for each other by being vulnerable with our fears and stresses, and we have encouraged and reached out to those who are struggling a little more. We have been making the most of this time, but more than that, we’ve been making the most of our LIVES. Not only have we helped each other, we have helped our PLANET. Our atmosphere is cleaner. Pollution is decreasing. Wildlife is returning in Venice. Guys, this is NUTS. We have created a better place to live, just by living more intentionally and being less wasteful. When darkness swept in and took away our everyday, we found a way to make the world a little bit brighter.
We have made this time count for something.
We have appreciated more and taken for granted less.
We have created more and destroyed less.
We have given more and taken less.
And friends, we have made a heck of a lot of lemonade.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12