Blog Bio Spring, Virus and Relief
My 70th birthday. January 2020. Keith in the wheelchair.
It has been a long year for Keith and I. January 2019 began with the death of my brother Paul. The rest of the year centered around dealing with all the aspects of his loss. This year was a new beginning. We got one, but not what we expected. Early January, Keith slipped on a patch of ice and down he went.
Thankfully there were individuals who helped him. After a visit to a specialist, Keith got the news. He’d broken his ankle which would take 6-8 weeks to heal. During that time he wore a huge boot for protection and was told to absolutely stay off of it.
For the first several weeks he used a wheelchair, then a walker, and finally a cane and a brace instead of the boot. He’s still using the cane. If walking on uneven ground, he is still supposed to wear his brace for extra protection. It was exciting when he could drive again. We could go shopping, could go out to eat--and we could attend church services again. (I don’t drive.)
That lasted maybe 3 weeks or so. Then the nation was immersed in trying to stop the pandemic of Covid19. Social distancing and staying home became the new watchwords. Who were the most vulnerable? We were. Not only are Keith and I in the target age group for getting the virus, our immune systems are compromised.
After spending the first part of the year at home due to Keith’s injury, now we stayed home to stay safe and well. While Keith is an introvert and is fine with his books, iPad, and computer, I have discovered I’m not the introvert I thought I might be.
Yes, I like alone time. Yes, my work is a solitary pursuit. But as much as I enjoy alone time, I also need interaction with people. I also do better with sunny skies rather than with overcast skies, gloom, and rain. With the warming weather, just going outside, standing in the sunlight, and breathing in deeply helps.
I am thankful warm weather is arriving. I am also thankful this happened at a time technology can help us keep connected. Our church started pre-recording services for Sunday worship. Wednesdays, Zoom helps us stay in touch with our church Fellowship and Prayer time. Phone calls continue from family and friends. Email also helps us keep in touch. We can even meet, with caution, in small groups.
I really covet FaceTime with our daughter and two youngest grandkids--Ellery (3) and Ezekiel (1). Like our daughter, Ellery is more of an extrovert and misses time with friends. Now, she asks her mom to talk with Gramma and Grampa via video. It is wonderful to be able to see and hear them.
It also makes me long for the day we can get into our car and drive to Omaha and give long hugs. Meanwhile, restrictions are slowly being relaxed. Even that leads to frustration and the urge to complain. Instead, we can do something different. We can count our blessings and reach out to those who need a word of encouragement.
We can pray for those making decisions that they will make wise ones. We can pray for the safety of medical personnel and we can pray virus cases will continue to decrease. Further, we can love and continue to spend quality time with our families. Finally, we can give thanks that this, too, shall pass. Use wisdom and stay safe.
© 2020 Carolyn R Scheidies
Published in Kearney Hub 5/18/2020
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