One day we are shopping, connecting at coffee shops and worshipping in our church buildings, “Business as usual” we say. With two words, we stop! Stay Home! and then the next two words, Save Lives!
Personal shopping came to a standstill, cars fill driveways, and kids are home with parents, all because of 4 words, Stay Home! Save Lives!
We all froze for a few days with the questions of “What? Why? How can this be?” Some tuned into television and social media all day. Others grabbed onto their Bibles, some cleaning off the dust. Others sat, frozen in time.
What about you? What was your immediate response?
Mine, you ask? Mine, after the first week, was to stop, look around and purposely decide, I have things to do! I can get to my paperwork that has mounted up, you know those files that need attention. I began participating in a couple business online classes, reaching out to those I have seen online and would like to be like when I grow up. Yes, I have engaged in walking, finding ways to connect with family and friends, becoming pretty proficient at ZOOM, along with many of you!
As our states, counties and cities begin to open up; and we move forward and begin to think beyond the current day, I ask myself another question…”What did I learn from this season?” “Was this all for naught?” “What will I change as I go forward?” “What will I leave behind?”
Life is a journey of lessons, a journey of twists and turns and a journey of ups and downs. We have all ridden life’s journey these past three months. Some seem to have weathered it easier than others. Some have lost a loved one to the terrible virus or other illness {I am sorry}, others have lived through the virus with stories to tell and days of healing continue. Some of us have watched, waited, wondered and maybe even questioned, “What is this all about?” Whatever lot you find yourself, I ask you, “What have you learned?”
My ah-ha moment was in the grocery store near the first week or so when someone was looking for something very specific, (no, not TP), but it was not on the shelf. This person looked at me, I looked back and said with half a smile on my face, “Welcome to our new America.” The list could go on of the lessons I’ve learned: we have learned to wait, have patience, what we may need and most certainly, what we can do without. I have learned to enjoy the quiet of my home, once again. One of the surprises of this time is I have enjoyed cooking meals again! The peacefulness and enjoyment of sitting down and experiencing the variety of color, the smell and actually tasting the food. 🙂
As we begin to open up and move forward, what am I looking forward to? Like many of us, I cherish the time we will be freely giving hugs to those I love outside of my home; as well as traveling in our “new normal.” Yes, there are many things I look forward to bringing back into my every day life, however…
Through this season, I learned once again, there is HOPE through Transition!
I found I could live in this “new normal.” Life continued! We laughed, we cried, we shared meals and we connected in a way that was rich and healthy, face-to-face. There IS HOPE through Transition!
HOPE was found in discovering God’s Word deeper, as I had the time to study with a notebook, reading and re-reading, looking for the treasure each day. It was wonderful to see through our Bible study, Ezra, Nehemiah and the prophets of the time, living in a time much as
we are today. YES! God promises to be with us! God is with us! And, no matter what happens as we move forward, God goes before us!
There is HOPE through Transition! Life is a journey of transitions! My prayer for you, is that you will be blessed as you live forward!
How will you live tomorrow from the lessons you’ve learned today?
Thank you for reading my story of lessons learned in the season!
Life Coach, Katy Nelson
HOPE through Transition KatyNelsonCoaching.net https://katynelsoncoaching.net