We’ve all seen the news and posts on Facebook. You know, the grim predictions of hundreds of thousands of deaths, stay at home orders and mask wearing, not to mention the ones that point fingers at our state and national leaders. These newscasts and posts are full of fear, worry and sometimes even hate. How are we to survive this pandemic? I found patience, prayer and painting helped.
I feel I have not really been living life during this pandemic. Having patience is not ordinarily one of my virtues. I’ve just been getting by. We have given up so much. For me, I gave up:
- Visits with my family and friends and hugs from my grandkids
- Attending church on Sunday mornings because the churches closed
- My part time job as a substitute teacher because teachers were working remotely
- Participating in book club or going out to eat with friends because we were told not to gather
- Participating in Bible study with friends, again, because the church was closed
- Shopping at my favorite stores because they too were closed
I felt as though I retired all over again and had to create a new life.
Alone every day and pretty much isolated from the ones that make life worth living, life as I knew it had changed and so did everyone else’s. I began focusing on personal Bible study, devotion and worship every morning. I prayed for patience and hope; just to be able to hang in there.
One day it dawned on me, or God was telling me, why don’t I make some home improvements during this pandemic. I wanted to sell my home and leave my meddling HOA neighborhood anyway. If I made the improvements then when the market rebounds and people get back to work, my home will be ready.
So every morning after prayer and devotions, I prepped and stained my 1977 cedar home. Most of my troubles and worries faded as I stained. The biggest worries remaining were who was going to stain the second story and how was I going to pay for it? I don’t do tall ladders. So, I got some bids and contracted with a company. I decided to pay them out of my home equity line of credit I took out in 2017 for my mountain cabin project.
Right now my home is two colors: gray green on the first story (new color) and brown (old color) on the second. With patience, prayer and money it will be ready to sell in August.
So when people ask me how am I surviving the pandemic I’ll be able to say, “I’m surviving the pandemic with patience, prayer and painting.”
Do you have a story about how you are surviving during this crazy time? Please share in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your story.