Lockdown – One Day Wonders with JBK

Ready To Go

May 5, 2020May 3, 2020 Quilter4 Comments

Sparrow Hope is in the air. The excitement is building.

People are daring to talk of what they will do when our lockdown is lifted. For many, going back to work is priority #1. They are ready to go.

Summer is coming though. Will people be able to afford vacations this year? Will any of us feel free as a bird again?

It brings to mind another kind of excitement our family experienced many years ago. We had purchased a used camper trailer but the concept was new to us. While we never camped before we were ready to go.

The trip started off with a bang. Literally. On his way home from work the evening before take-off, my husband Dave had a car accident. Fortunately it was minor and we were determined not to let that dampen our spirits.

We were headed to northern Michigan. The day was sunny and clear, so the windows were down to enjoy the mild weather wafting in.

Our spirits were high for this new adventure, until our daughter, Cindy let out a blood-curdling scream. It was unavoidable and we hit a sparrow with our rear view mirror. The poor thing was stopped cold mid-flight. Because we were still in motion, it entered the car through the back window and landed smack on Cindy’s lap.

Surprisingly, it only stunned the bird. We stopped and Dave placed it on the shoulder of the road to collect its equilibrium. That little guy had a story to tell its family in recounting the events of his day!

We arrived at our destination, Indian River for a week of relaxation. It is a beautiful campsite and we had a wonderful time…except for the nights.

I was very pregnant with our third child, who made her presence known whenever I laid still. Dave and I were sleeping on what campers call a queen-size bunk. If only it were. He got a taste of what pregnancy feels like as our little one kicked both of us through the night.

If memory serves me right that is the same time I went through withdrawal of iced tea. Loved it then, love it still. But at the time I felt like a human trampoline. This could not continue.

Kind of the same thoughts we have today concerning this COVID-19 lockdown. It just cannot go on. And it won’t.

Yes, 2020 is one for the memory books. Our Creator is well aware of what’s going on in our life. In fact, he even knew about that little sparrow. He wrote in his book.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart of the will of your father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 NIV Bible

I don’t know about you, but I have a whole lot more hair to count these days. Grasp hope, it’s there for our taking. Soon the hair shops will be open again.

A Thought

April 21, 2020April 19, 2020 QuilterLeave a comment

20200419_165706 © jb katke

Before it’s too late, I’ve got this idea to bounce off you.

The news is talking about a gradual return to work. A cautious step must be taken because we are still in the midst of the Great Coronavirus Lockdown.

But my thought is this: What if we made a time capsule type of thing with how this experience impacted our lives? I don’t have a time capsule and you might not either. But we could probably find a shoe box or anything with a lid.

The obvious could be a job loss. Or maybe if you are in the medical field or shipping industry, you are working nonstop. Write it down!

Keep track of the changes your life has taken in recent weeks. Cooking three meals a day, finding grocery shelves empty. The frantic hunt for toilet paper.

What about the Zoom app? Did you learn how to get on it to stay in touch with family or friends? How about suddenly having to stay six feet apart from others?

Maybe it was visiting your elderly parent through a window because they were quarantined. Or worse yet, a family members death. Alone.

The birthdays that came and went with no celebration. Weddings and funerals continue to be on hold.

School that was closed ahead of schedule forcing parents to suddenly become teachers so their kids don’t fall academically behind. Not to mention the graduating seniors that had to do without a ceremony.

To one degree or another we all have been impacted. Tell how you had no income but somehow got by. Document it, otherwise the future generation may not believe it.

Sacrifices never come easy. Particularly when we had to celebrate the greatest sacrifice of all privately at home. I’m referring to Jesus’ death on the cross for all the stuff we have done wrong. He loved mankind enough to willfully die, knowing that a better life was in store for us.

So maybe when all this is behind us, our lives will be better. We’ve renewed the act of being neighborly and became sensitive to the needs of others. Businesses have stepped up to provide what the medical field was lacking.

This is America. This is love in action. This needs to be recorded, don’t you think?

In The Meantime…

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 Quilter2 Comments

geo drake - Copy © geo. drake

…we carry on.

The COVID-19 virus continues to be with us.

We are in week, I’ve lost count, of lock down.

And now the masks. Who would have ever thought the ensemble we put together to wear on Easter Sunday would be face masks? That is if we absolutely must leave the house. Otherwise stay put and attend church online wearing your PJ’s.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, more people are out walking. The dogs of the neighborhood have never been so physically fit.

All of us are thinking outside the box for sanity sake. I heard of one family that packed their children a lunch in individual baggies and hid them. If the kids wanted to eat, they had to search for their food. Sort of a bend on the Easter egg hunt.

I’ve become aware of many seamstresses now making masks, easing the demand and keeping the N95 masks in the medical field.

Neighbors continue to stay in touch with each other within the 6 foot guidelines of course.

Jigsaw puzzles are coming out. Non-techy people such as yours truly are learning how to get on Zoom to stay in touch with loved ones.

A new normal is beginning to take form. When this is said and done with, and it will, because scripture says this too, shall pass. It will be interesting to see how we do life after coronavirus.

Many have already learned what was once essential to living, no longer is. Are restaurants going to reposition tables a little further away from each other? Will we rush to theaters and sporting events to sit shoulder to shoulder with others? Only time will tell.

Hopefully we will carry on those good hygiene practices forced upon us now. America may have become too lax. Each of us has had our consciousness raised.

One thing is certain, we have a much better handle on who is really in control. At the risk of offending, not mankind.

Some have turned to Jesus in this crisis time. They want answers, explanations at why this was insidious virus allowed to enter our lives. We may get answers, but don’t count on it.

Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell Him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Romans 11:36 The Message

Not me. The choices are to ditch him completely or trust him. Considering he made the world I’m thinking he knows what he is doing. I chose trust. Faith in him has made my life bearable.

In the meantime, I’m curious to know what you are doing to maintain sanity. Share please!