Wow! What a time to start a blog, huh?! Well, I actually “started” it a year ago, but it got put on hold. Not because I had anything major going on – just a busy life. I’m a full-time paralegal with a fairly large firm, although I work in one of the three smaller satellite offices with four attorneys and two other paralegal/legal assistants. I am mother of two grown daughters who have provided three wonderful grandchildren between them, and I have one very needy boxer/yellow lab rescue (above) who DEMANDS attention. Last, but certainly far from least in my life, is the love of my life, Charlie.
Charlie and I are currently partnering with another couple and an individual in the construction of a biergarten in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, which we are hoping to open this summer.
So, how are you coping with the COVID-19 pandemic? The world has been turned upside down, right?! We have kids forbidding their parents to leave the house, or at least limiting their shopping to those “early senior hours”. I will admit, I was not thoroughly convinced in the beginning of the seriousness (and Charlie still isn’t), but I am more concerned now. My youngest daughter was confirmed with it three to four weeks ago, and she still hasn’t fully recovered – she will be fine. It’s just been a very slow healing process, mainly getting her strength back. She hasn’t been completely cleared yet, so her son and husband are not out of the woods, and won’t be until two weeks after she is cleared. So, they have a ways to go with it. It’s been rough. For two weeks solid she was basically bed-fast, then she finally began feeling like getting up and moving around – only to overdo it her first day up which resulted in two more days back in bed. With that said, the worst of it by far for her has been pushing her son who is ten away every time he wanted near, needed a hug or just to cuddle. THAT breaks my heart and brings me to tears even as I write this. Yet, theirs is not the saddest of stories to be told from this. I realize many have died from this virus, and I am not trying to undermine that fact, but I honestly believe this has gotten completely out of hand, and I don’t know who is responsible.
Let me give some statistics to prove my point. As of today, April 10, 2020, the CDC is reporting 469,218 have been confirmed with COVID-19, 26,448 have recovered, and 16,693 deaths are reported. Yet, in April of 2019, the CDC reported the following after a 21-week period of flu season in the U.S.: 57,300 deaths and 41.3 million affected. There was no pandemic announcement, there were no businesses shut down, there were no stay-at-home orders issued in any state in the United States. Why now? What is the difference? I’m sure a valid argument could be made that, had our leaders taken the same measures prior to April 2019, many of those 57,300 lives could have been saved. But, my question is, why weren’t those measures taken then, and why are they being taken now? I’m no expert about the virus or the economy, so I really have no answers, this is merely an observation, and valid concerns. I am concerned about the virus, I know how it affected my healthy daughter, so I acknowledge the severity of the virus. Yet, my larger concern still remains the damage done to our economy, to families who are struggling financially, business that may never recover, and our future.
I’m one of the fortunate ones. The law firm I work for is based out of Charleston, West Virginia and our office is in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, so we already work “remotely”, feeding off of the main server in Charleston. Early on the managing attorneys made the decision that we would be, for the most part, working from home, and the arrangements were made. Each office has one or two people that come in to the office to process mail and receive packages. The rest of us are all working from home, so I’ve not missed a day of work yet. And my rescue, Tanner, is very happy with the setup. I truly am blessed to work for such a great firm!
Because of my faith, my belief in God and my Savior Jesus Christ, I’m not living in daily fear. Am I immune because I’m a Christian? No. Simply being a Christian does not mean I will never suffer. It does mean I can trust God to give me strength and courage to get through any trial that I face. I can in no way know what God has in store for me, but I am sure that He already has a plan for me, and He will never leave me to face anything on my own. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Am I saying God caused this virus? No! But, God CAN use it to bring some good out of it. And, I see evidence of that every day. People working together for a common goal, whether it’s making face masks (or providing needed materials from craft stashes), putting together meals for those in need (or donating food/money for the cause), or simply watching out for a neighbor. People are coming together, people are kinder, and that’s a good thing. And that same faith gives me hope for the future of our country, yet my heart still aches for those families and small businesses so adversely affected by, not the virus, but by our leaders’ reactions.
So, here’s my first post. Maybe not too impressive, but I’ve opened that door and walked through. I have so much more to share, so I hope you will check back often. Take care, my friends. Stay safe, be blessed to be a blessing.