Sadly I realized at about 2:30am this morning that I did not post encouragement for today…..uhhh…..yesterday! And, sadly, the verse I was going to post on was about love. Not sadly that it was on love, but sadly it was on love and I forgot to post in the midst of all the love going on in our family!!!!
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
All that love in two verse in John, in the midst of a global pandemic, in the midst of a suggested/requested quarantine, and I forget to post! Let me state my case for forgetfulness. I actually didn’t totally forget, but I let the day get away from me. Yesterday was Molly Grace’s 21st birthday. The baby of the family. Our baby girl who loves birthdays and family and cake and is the best present opener EVER!
My two older girls braved the pandemic and hit two stores and a bakery in an effort to try and make it a normal day as possible. Life is so full of uncertainties right now, we felt the need to do our best to gather and celebrate, before we are forbidden to gather and celebrate even as families. We found Flour Girls open and willing to let me in to purchase a dozen cupcakes to deliver to her office. We pulled up to the front door of her work, crossed our fingers they would let us in, even though we weren’t there for an appointment. I waltzed right in and up to the counter where she sat smiling and surprised. I kept the required 6 foot distance (after putting the box of cupcakes on the counter) and sent all the air hugs possible to our baby girl. I dropped off the older daughters and went home to begin the preparation for the birthday party. I found party decor in a box that I had been saving and decorated the dining room. I baked a strawberry cake, with chopped up strawberries in it and topped it with cream cheese icing. We prepared her favorite Shrimp Bisque and set the table. The family all arrived at 6:00 (thankfully there is no curfew as of yet) and we celebrated her life. Somehow, in the midst of everything going on, we needed to do something normal. We have five more birthdays and a new baby coming in the next few months, and we aren’t sure how it will all play out. We are being bombarded everyday with COVID19, or “the Corona” as we like to refer to it, whether the information is fact or not. Shelves in stores are getting less stocked as time goes on. Numbers in our coastal city, Mobile, or creeping up, as they are across the nation. Weddings and baby showers and other events are being cancelled every day. School has been cancelled. Churches are becoming techno smart in order to stay connected with their people. People are becoming unemployed all around us. And this verse couldn’t be more accurate today, right now.
We need to love. We do not need to fear. We need to celebrate. We need to remind ourselves and others that God is in control. We need to be smart, but we need to still gather in small groups if we can. We need to breathe in and breathe out.
So I am sorry for getting caught up in the preparations for her birthday celebration. But the gathering of our family did us all good. It felt normal. And for a couple of hours of food, fun, laughter and celebration, we loved on each other.
Be as normal as possible. It doesn’t have to be a “big” deal, but keep on hugging, laughing, and reaching out others, even if hugging isn’t possible. Happy birthday, today, to all those who are sitting at home, working at a desk or out looking for toilet paper. (I still don’t understand or obsession with this one).
And. Just for the record. We only had 9 and 2 little people (ages 2 and 2 months) which could technically be considered as 10. So we didn’t break the rules!
As a side note…..I am not encouraging excessive touching or spreading of germs. We should all respect the fact that there is a virus out there that is contagious and we should be careful. So maybe air hugging is the best option for now. And keep your groups at 10. And no sneezing or coughing in anyone’s direction!
Dana2day 