I’m right there with you, Lynn! I miss the pre-pandemic cohesiveness, too. I know it wasn’t perfect then either, but it was a lot more unified than now. 🙁 Praying with you that we find a way to come together again.

The uptick is bothering me, too, Joanne. I still have several relatives who have resisted getting the vaccine. I’m not as concerned about the younger ones (although I’m concerned about them too), but the older ones could be in serious danger. 🙁 Yes, were it not for the Lord, I would have little peace at all.

I think you’re right, Jean: we’ll never go back to where we were. I suppose that every year anyway. Each year brings different things. 2020 just happened to be an extreme example of that. And hopefully a year that won’t be repeated any time soon!

You know I always appreciate your stream-of-consciousness comments, Lynn. 🙂 Your own question is a primary one: What is normal? I hardly know either. Life pre-pandemic might have been what we were used to, but was it “normal,” whatever that means? There are definitely a few things I do not want to return to as well. Even as some of the “normal” things return, I’m not buying into them again. This is definitely a time in our lives and in the world to take a good hard look at everything and evaluate not only what we’re doing, but who we are and who we want to become. May the Lord help us every one! Love you, Lynn!

Thanks so much, Lisa. I read Linda’s post, which sounds like Journaling 101, if you will. I often use reflective questions in facilitating my journaling groups. That’s so important. And it also reminds me of Ps. 139, where David asks the Lord to search his soul. I wrote a piece about the pandemic for a mid-year “Christmas” newsletter. I send them annually, but due to health challenges for both Mother and me, I wasn’t able to write one for the past two years. So I’m catching up readers now and will write again in time for Christmas. A central theme of the current newsletter is pandemic pandemonium, the good, the bad. Yes, there were many good blessings we experienced midst the sorrow. But I would simply ask: What is normal? I hardly know. If it means returning to life as it was pre-pandemic, I’m not so sure it was *all* wonderful or worthy of a rerun. Maybe it would be wise for us to sift through the detritus and treasures of our lives more often before some disaster strikes–to keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of release, blow the rest away. I know I don’t want to return to all of it, and some things, like seeing friends and family–and for goodness sake, a dinner out–are welcomed delights. As for the former, we have done that with those vaccinated. As for the latter, not yet. I’m weary of how the virus is escalating yet again, primarily because people who could, won’t get vaccinated (the vast majority of the COVID-infected are now unvaccinated, including children and teens). I do understand hesitancy (I’m that way about new meds), but if people research this from *proper* medical sources, I think they’d be pleasantly surprised how do-able vaccines are (and how God has blessed our country with an abundance of them just for the asking)! With those whose refusal is political, stubborn, or willfully ignorant, I have no patience. And it disturbs me that they care little about the poor, overworked health care front-liners who risk their very lives, and by turn, their families, to care for the sick and dying. And if the anti-vaxxers get sick, I wonder if they wouldn’t expect stellar hospital treatment. And it’s not nice that our own city is now treating COVID patients, unvaccinated, most, who are beginning to burgeon in our city hospitals because their outlying hospitals in small towns are overrun by the unvaccinated. If things proliferate here, then where will our residents go if our hospital beds are filled to overflowing by the unvaccinated around the state? It’s all a mess, frankly, Lisa. I’m so grateful that our professional Bach chorus has just decided to require vaccines for singing this autumn (our first time in two years). Okay, enough! Climbing down off my holier than thou soapbox, grabbing a pen and journal, and answering the wonderful questions you shared!
Stay safe in Alabama, while we attempt the same in Missouri (another anti-vaxxer state, as a whole). And after I journal, I’m calling our governor! Maybe he deserves one of my soapbox orations! 🙂
xo
Lynn

I’m often the same, not always sifting through the experiences. But I intentionally sat down with Linda’s questions and made myself give an answer to each one. My soul needed the pause and reflection.

I’m with you on that, Barb. I am so excited to return to a movie theater at some point. Ours have all reopened, but we haven’t been back yet. I’m looking forward to eating the popcorn too, regardless of which movie we see. 🙂