Ye shall not fear

  Just so I NEVER forget... This is what is going on in our world right now, and one day it will be a story I tell to my grandkids, like the way my grandma talks about the the way she remembers the great depression or WWII. We are making history, and I want to remember the good & the bad. 

• Gas price a mile from home was $2.35
• School cancelled - We are all home/ online schooling
• Gyms - closed! 
• Social distancing measures on the rise.
• Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
• Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
• Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
• Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
• Entire sports seasons cancelled.
• Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
• Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
• Churches are closed- this is also being done at home.
• No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.
• Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
• Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
• We are to distance from each other.
• Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
• Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
• Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel, no hand sanitizer. Shelves are bare.
• Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
• Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
• Fines are established for breaking the rules.
• Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
• Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
• Government incentives to stay home.
• Stimulus package passed by federal government to support economy,
• Barely anyone on the roads.
• People wearing masks and gloves outside.
• Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
• Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Looking back, my last couple of posts seemed a bit sad. but as we are all settling into the new "normal", one thing keeps coming to mind, D&C 38:30. This is a revelation given through Joseph Smith, in which the Lord Talks of troubled times, but reassures us that "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

These are troubled times indeed, and I have had my bad days, but overall I am not afraid, and I feel at peace. I have done the best I can to heed the long-time council of our prophets to be prepared; temporally and spiritually, and I am ok.  

  I do worry about the many who are sick, afraid, or otherwise suffering, but Christ has brought me peace. "Peace in Christ". This was the theme for the youth  in 2018 and it is my favorite. Every time I hear the song, it's like a beautiful reminder of who is handling all of this, and my worries just seem to melt away.

  I have been trying to focus on the positive in all of this, and it actually hasn't been that hard to do! We had gotten to a point in life where we were so busy that I felt like I was drowning. Working, running my kids to all of their extra-curriculars, trying to manage things at home while Russ is working 2 jobs, serving in the RS presidency, keeping up my visit's with grandma, managing my health, and the list goes on... I never would've stopped had I not been forced, and I'm so grateful for the slower pace. We are together as a family all of the time now and it has given us an amazing opportunity to reconnect, and I am loving it! It's the kind of thing that makes you really reevaluate your priorities. If I could, I'd never go back to work! 

  Both of Russ' jobs have been deemed "essential", so even though I'm not going to work, we still have his paychecks, and will be fine as long as he doesn't get sick, which is something I am constantly praying for.

  We will likely need to cancel our summer vacation, but in January  was able to take a girls trip to Palm Springs CA with Jennie and Rebecca, and it was just the recharge we all needed, and I'm so grateful that we had that opportunity before all of this happened. 

  I still don't love homeschooling, but we're starting to get the hang of it with the help of my kids amazing teachers. I have always had a great deal of respect for teachers, and this has just solidified my belief that they deserve a WAY bigger salary, they are truly incredible and I couldn't do this without them!

  As for church, the transition to a home-centered Gospel learning was truly inspired as it has been implemented with fidelity during this time. I feel so blessed to have 3 Priesthood holders in my home so we can still partake of the sacrament and receive blessings while not at church. This has brought an increase of the spirit into our home and I love it!

  This weekend is a bicentennial General Conference, and as such we have been asked to study the restoration, and as I've done so, I've realized that God didn't just restore a church, he has restored His people. I'm so excited for what we will learn this weekend, and for the things that our Heavenly Father has in store for us. It is an exciting time.