听COVID-19, with all its adjustments, terrors and sorrows will pass in time. Remember how difficult things were at the start of the pandemic panic, when everyone learned we must keep our distance from anyone not in our own household?
听
听 听Early in 2020, after the Preacher and I moved nearby them, excited to be living close again, the two youngest grandchildren had one sleepover at Nana and Gampa鈥檚. Little Lois and I baked chocolate chip cookies, oblivious that the monster virus stalking the world would, in less than a week, dramatically alter how even loving families could relate to each other.
听
听 听When social distancing guidelines took over, we couldn鈥檛 enter others鈥� houses. The grandbeans and I took properly distanced walks on country roads near their home. Windy March marches, actually. Winter still bit hard, and closeness felt infinitely more desirable than distance.
听
听 听As I arrived at their place for the first time and exited my car, my cookie making helper (who hadn鈥檛 seen me for a whole entire week, at least) burst from the back door, her arms wide open to greet me. 鈥淟ois!鈥� one of her sisters called sharply, 鈥淒on鈥檛 hug Nana! You can鈥檛 hug Nana! She鈥檚 vulnerable!鈥� The child burst into tears. I wasn鈥檛 far behind.
听
听 听On one of those walks, four year old Ezra grew weary and cold (mostly cold). He climbed into the wagon we鈥檇 brought just in case. As his older sibling towed him, the tyke sat rigid in place, his lips getting paler and bluer by the moment. A grandmother鈥檚 warm embrace could have helped, but warm embraces weren鈥檛 advised then, and none of us considered flouting the medical sages. I hate that memory and the echo of his wails ringing in my heart.
听
听 听When the health advisors trotted out the concept of the 鈥渨idening your bubble鈥� the Preacher and I happily expanded ours to include the rest of the family and a few good friends. A few months down the pandemic path, hugs happen each time we meet.
听
听 听The grandbeans understand the seriousness of COVID-19, however. Sherah approached her mother the other day holding an eight foot two by four she鈥檇 found while working with her dad. Her gloved hands grasping its centre, she grinned. 鈥淭his is my new social distancing board, Mama,鈥� she said. She gets it, enough to make a joke. That makes me both sad and glad.
听
听 听A relationship with God doesn鈥檛 require鈥攁nd never will require鈥攕ocial distancing. At our invitation, He inserts the Spirit of Jesus Christ into our hearts, making us his beloved child. As near as our breath, he walks and talks with us. He joins us around our tables, at our workplaces, in our kitchens and living rooms. As we sleep, he remains watchful. When life chills us to the bone and uncertainty threatens our emotional well-小蓝视频, he embraces us tenderly.
听
听 听鈥淕od is watching us from a distance,鈥� proclaim the lyrics of a popular song. Not true. God is closer than your very breath. Never forget it.
