Well, here we are. I slept in until 7:30. Washed my face, brushed my teeth, changed out of my sweat pants into new clean-ish sweat pants, did my Bible study, checked in on a friend, made some coffee, and now what.
My streets are quiet. It’s weird. All the cars are tucked nicely in their driveways with no place to go. Everyone is home. While we are all distancing ourselves, I’ve never felt more connected to the world.
Instead of a war, where we are all fighting each other; we are now all fighting the same thing: COVID-19.
My heart explodes with pain for Italy as their numbers of deaths grow by 300 people every 24 hours. Where their hospitals and doctors are having to make decisions as if they are on a battlefield. You live, you die, you live, you die. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering and trauma they are enduring.
And then it went from there…
France
Europe
Iran
China-still…
And now the good ole U.S. of A.
It seems strange not to get up and go to school. Yesterday, during our mandatory all staff 8 a.m. meeting, we learned that another meeting would be held for principals later in the morning where we would get news. For now, clean…everything. So really, our meeting was about nothing and to be prepared for everything.
Got it.
>Insert tight chest symptoms and panic here.<
Not knowing what to do with ourselves we sorted, cleaned, threw away stuff, moved things that didn’t need to be moved, laughed, talked, planned for when we would ever come back; it was just…weird.
Then the meeting came that would tell us something new but would only stick for a few hours because by the time you digested and processed the new information, there was even newer information.
I don’t think I could be a journalist because this is killing me.
We were told that we were off and that the four days with no students before spring break would be treated like snow days. After that, if there were more days off they wouldn’t be and we may have to make them up.
Great.
Students can come to school for a drive through food service to get fed. Praise the Lord there since our hearts and minds were already worried about those that rely on schools to feed them.
We are their safe place. We are the place they WANT to be at because sometimes their home lives aren’t what we want for them. I have a ton of great families at my school so this is not everyone, but still, across the nation we have a ton of hungry kids that rely on schools to feed them.
I was one of those kids.
And then later that evening while I was cooking dinner, another email and phone call came through with the news I was hoping would never come.
Out another week past spring break. That’s three weeks of NO SCHOOL.
Despite the hysteria, I feel a sense of closeness I’ve never felt before with the entire world.
At the grocery store some gentleman couldn’t find stewed tomatoes. Clearly his wife did the shopping but in fear of the virus, stayed home and sent her strong grey husband instead. I was happy to oblige and show him the stewed tomatoes. He thanked me over and over again as he feared her wrath over no stewed tomatoes more than he did the impending illness of COVID-19.
There’s volunteers across the nation helping their elderly neighbors get the groceries and supplies they need in a safe manner.
That’s what I’m talking about folks. It’s like WWII when the nation came together with victory gardens and they did without so much just to help in the common good.
We can do that again. Don’t you think?
Stay safe my friends and stick together.
Love, Jessie
true life hot mess mom 