I sometimes joke that my life is a badly scripted sitcom that jumped the shark a few seasons ago. I do that feel that way at times; however, most of the time I think of my life as chapters in a book. Life happens and my mind crafts the perfect opening chapter paragraph for what has happened; life happens and my mind crafts the perfect closing paragraph.
The Coronavirus ordeal has me thinking about the chapters of life. Depending on what chapter one is in makes for a drastically different experience than another. Thinking back on the chapters of my own life, I feel that there were times in my past when I could not of endured what is happening in the world today. Truthfully, I am in the best possible chapter that I could be in for what is happening in our world right now.
I think that we should all take a moment to think about the many different chapters of life and where others might be right now. There are more that come to mind than I could ever write about. Do not think that I have not thought of your chapter, if I do not write about it today. These are simply the three that I chose to write about this morning.
High school seniors – I never had a senior year of high school, but this was my own doing. As a parent, I have been planning Brainy Bird’s prom and graduation party since he was in kindergarten. I am glad that he is not a senior this year. For high school seniors all over the US, high school just came to an abrupt end. Many will not have a prom or graduation. Some jack ass posted on Facebook that this is a better situation than heading off to Vietnam, which was a reality for the generation before us.
Two comments on that – 1) Vietnam was not the experience of the jack ass that posted that comment; he had a normal senior year. 2) My dad did go off to Vietnam, and he too would be feeling a loss of life experiences and milestones for today’s high school seniors as many are feeling. Sadly, I have first hand knowledge of how my father, the Vietnam vet, would have felt about the reality for today’s high school seniors.
Brides to be – A girl spends her whole life dreaming of her special day, and then suddenly the day is cancelled, on hold, uncertain…Weddings are a special time for everyone involved, and I know that this is difficult. Brides to be feel guilty for feeling down about their disrupted wedding plans when there are so many worse things going in the world, making it all that much worse. No one should feel guilty for being disappointed or sad about a big event that has been disrupted because of the Coronavirus. This is part of being human. I promise that your guests are feeling your frustration and disappointment too. I know this first hand.
Mothers-To-Be – I think that this is the hardest chapter to be in right now. I could write an entire book about all that is wrong with what is happening in the world right now, and that is the chapter/book that their children’s lives are set to begin in.
There are so many aspects to this. Our country has been shutdown, our rights as Americans have been revoked because of a virus that came from a communistic country. Our own media is blatantly anti-American, committed to spreading mass panic at the demise of our own nation. Social media is filled with “sheeple” shaming anyone that they perceive in violation of the “stay at home” orders that have ended our rights as Americans. People are suddenly out of work through no fault of their own. This is a terrifying world to bring a child into.
The life chapter of “Mother-To-Be” is supposed to be filled with excitement, day dreaming about baby, shopping with Grandma-to-be and Great-Grandma-to be, baby showers, brunches, moments of relaxing at home with Dad-to-be, and indulgence in ice cream and cookies.
A world pandemic that is not really a pandemic is not what is supposed to be happening right now!!!!
My heart goes out to high school seniors, brides-to-be and mothers-to-be everywhere. I could offer you the fact that this experience will make you that much more prepared for life, for marriage, for being a mother, but I feel that is dismissive of what you have missed out on. I hope we all find creative ways to make up for these missed days in these chapters of life. May God bless your futures, your marriages and your little rock stars in the making.