I could blog about my grand-dogs. Penny Lane, a beagle/blue-heeler mix. Mowgli, a…well, we’re not sure , but I think he might have greyhound somewhere! Marley, the eleven-year-old diabetic who is blind due to cataracts but till manages to get on our diving board and sit. All sweet, all fun, all loving.
I could blog about some of the amazing vacations I’ve experienced, like the OBX stay in 2018 that blew me away, the Washington, DC trip in 2014 (which I loved more than my husband because we walked A LOT), the times I’ve been to beautiful places like the Grand Canyon and Sedona.
I could write about the time we followed Jane Seymour around on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (1982) or how I met Elvis Presley’s uncle in 1978 at Graceland and had a nice chat with him.
I could tell you about all the times I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth and said all the wrong things at the wrong time. Hopefully maturity is helping me with that.
I could recall funny stories from my teaching days, like when a sophomore asked me in my French class, when we were learning the names of animals in French, if the animals in France made the same sounds as animals in the United States or about the time a male student was a little fresh with me (I was young thenK) and when the principal called in the custodial grandfather and the boy to his office, along with me, and the grandfather at the end of the discussion told the boy to apologize and give me a kiss. True story. Don’t worry, I stopped it.
I could write about how I was convinced my youngest son had God’s ear when several of his prayers were answered in unbelievable fashion. One night in particular stands out. It was bedtime, and my seven-year-old told me he didn’t want to go to school the next day. I told him unless he were throwing up or running a fever, he was going. When he said his bedtime prayer, he asked God to make him sick so he wouldn’t have to go to school. About three a.m., he woke me up, and he had a fever of 102. He was sick several days,. I told him to be careful what he prayed for!
Right now, we’re facing an uncertain future. We don’t know what to expect because we’ve never had to deal with anything like this. It’s not my place to tell you how to behave during this time, but it is my sincere hope that we not panic, that we listen to the experts and follow their advice, and that we reach out to help others in whatever ways we can. It is my hope that the good in us will prevail, that we will stop making this a political issue and instead treat it for what it is, a health crisis of proportions not seen in my lifetime. I would hope we, as a nation, will pull together as we did after 9/11, that will will be united in our efforts to reduce the number of those affected by the virus.
And while we are doing all of that, don’t forget to laugh, to be creative, to focus on what is good and right in our lives. Have faith that we will get through this and things will return to normal eventually.
The Greatest Generation knows this. They lived through the Depression and World War II. There aren’t many of them left, but they could all tell us some stories that would make this pale in comparison.
Hang in there, everyone. Don’t freak out. Be smart, and if necessary, err on the side of caution. Do what you can to stem the spread of the virus. Do what you can to help others. Let’s do our part to make things better instead of worse.
Don’t get me wrong. I know this is serious. But trust. Pray. Have faith. Then relax.
Life As I know it 