DAY 75

I started watching "The Office" again on Netflix. I am pretty sure I watched every season years ago, but I felt a need for something really funny as an antidote to the very un-funny times we are living in. If you have ever worked in an office this show is even funnier. I have worked in several office situations, and one, in particular, was so much like Dunder Mifflin that I can relate to almost every episode. I will not name the company or my co-workers to protect the innocent. At this particular job, I played the role of Pam, the receptionist. Complete with a game of Freecell in the background on my computer screen at all times. The looks that Michael (the boss) gets from his staff are priceless. When you work in an office for a long time, your coworkers become like your big, dysfunctional family. There is always a Dwight who is over the top ridiculous. And an Angela who is uptight and difficult. I have watched all of the first season and am partway through the second, and I laugh out loud during every single one.

I have also been watching the final season of Madam Secretary. I love this show so much, and I really want Elizabeth McCord for president.

DAY 74

It is the last week of school. Most of what the teacher has assigned is what I would call "busy work". A math game, which she played with a classmate. An end of the year Distance Learning Memories activity. Creating a video to talk about their favorite memories of the year. I am usually relieved at the end of the school year, glad to be done with the routine of packing lunches, homework after school, waiting for the bus in the morning and afternoon. This year is so different because we have not done those things for months already. Now I feel like I usually do about the middle of August, anxious for school to start again.

One of the things that has happened here at our house is a more structured schedule of chores for Miss Nine and College Boy. I have randomly enforced chores for years, Now I put all of their chores on a calendar. I taped one to each of their bedroom doors. I also put one on the refrigerator. One of my goals for the summer is to encourage these two to learn more life skills. I realize how much I have done myself because it is easier than trying to get them to do it properly (according to my standards). I am doing them a disservice by not letting them learn from their mistakes. They both have done their own laundry for a long time. Miss Nine actually likes doing it. College Boy usually waits until he has absolutely nothing to wear before he does his. Now that he is staying in the same pajamas for days in a row he can go quite a while before he feels compelled to start a load. They have been taking turns washing and drying/putting away the dishes. They frequently disagree about how this should be done. Miss Nine pays strict attention to what I am making for dinner on the days that she has to wash. She doesn't like a lot of pots and pans. I often have to remind them to come back and wipe off the counters or empty the sink, but they are doing a fine job overall.

I remember hearing once that if your children are not ready to leave home by the time they are eighteen, you haven't done your job. So start those kindergarteners doing their own laundry. You will be glad you did.

DAY 73

Miss Nine and I took a walk to the courthouse after breakfast. On the way we talked about what Memorial Day is about, and how sad it is that we can't have our normal ceremonies to honor our fallen soldiers. At the courthouse, we looked at all of the names and talked about the different wars. Then we sat on a bench and discussed all of the ways that our summer is going to be different this year. She has become a little more accepting of the situation over the last couple of weeks. 

My husband and I went to the cemetery to clean up my family plot. There are seven of us buried there, with room for several more. It has always been a tradition in my family to take good care of the graves of those who have gone before us. On my dad's side, we have a family cemetery out in the country, on land that has been in my family since the early 1800s. Lakeview Cemetery in town is where my mom's side of the family are buried. My maternal grandparents, my mom, her brother, my brother, one sister, and my daughter are all interred there. Today we cleaned up my mom's side. I will do our family cemetery later in the week.

 

DAY 72

Staying home has become the new normal. Every day is pretty much a repeat of the day before. On days like today when Miss Nine is with her dad or my husband for long stretches of time, I can enjoy the peace and quiet of being home. The demands of other people can be exhausting, so time alone is more precious now than ever before. Often I go to my office at our business after the store is closed. I can focus and get so much more done when there are no distractions.

I have given up wanting many things because it is too painful or disappointing to want something that you just can't have. I can't hold my new baby granddaughter. I can't get a haircut. I can't hug my friends. It is so much easier to let go of the wanting and slip into acceptance. Life is becoming more a matter of what is absolutely necessary, a letting go of all of the things that we fill our days with. Things that we do to avoid our inner selves. I am choosing to embrace the basics, the deep lessons, the small joys of every day. I have spent over half of my life trying to practice the principle of living one day at a time. It has taken this devastating virus to ground me solidly in that way of being.

DAY 71

Memorial Day Weekend. What the heck are we going to do to honor the fallen soldiers? Our small town always has a parade that begins at our library, continues down to the courthouse where the war memorial stands, then on to the cemetery. Members of the military speak about the sacrifice that was made by those who fought and died, and by their families. The high school band plays patriotic music. Boy scouts row out into the lake and place a wreath in the water. There is a twenty-one gun salute. We pause at all of our family graves and pay tribute to those who have gone before us.

My father was a member of the US Air Force, working as a mechanic on fighter planes. When he left the service he went to work for United Airlines. After he retired he became involved in the American Legion. When he was in his late 70's and early 80's he drove other old vets to doctor appointments. He mailed out membership renewal paperwork. He sold poppies to raise money for his very small Legion post in Linden, Michigan. He participated in the Linden Memorial Day ceremonies until after he had a stroke at age 81. He cried at every cemetery ceremony. He was my hero.

There will be no parade, no band playing the Star-Spangled Banner, no twenty-one gun salute. So, how will we spend this time of reflection?  I will take Miss Nine for a walk to the courthouse and sit near the war memorial. I will tell her what Memorial Day is all about. I will talk to her about her grandfather and uncles who served, and about our friend's son who died in Afghanistan. We will cry for them all.

DAY 70

Another week of school finished. One more to go. The last day of school was scheduled for June 4th, B.C. (Before Covid). Apparently we will be done on May 29, A.C.(After Covid). I have mixed feelings about it. I am really ready to be done, but then we will have several hours a week to fill with something other than schoolwork. As any good homeschool mom knows, though, the world is your classroom and learning never ends.

I am thinking about what kinds of things we can do over the summer to stay engaged in the learning process. Of course there are always games to play and reading to be done, but the opportunities for education were endless in the B.C. era. Even though the governor is easing up on the restrictions, we will continue to avoid crowds and public gatherings. So many things that would usually be on our calendar, like vacation bible school, activities at the library, and play dates with friends are not going to be available. We set up our pool in the driveway like we always do. I have a feeling that it is going to get a lot more use this summer than it has in the past.

In early August Miss Nine would normally be going to Camp Kesem for a week. We do have a camping trip scheduled for July, and I am considering doing some camping in the Manistee National Forest, where you can rustic camp and avoid crowds of people. It is close to Lake Michigan and I think that we could spend some time there in August exploring nature.

I guess this will be the summer that we really do just relax with no over-scheduling of our time. We will lay on the deck and read. We will do summer crafts. We will daydream. We will be human beings, not human doings.

DAY 69

We had a full day here at Camp Covid-19. We started off with a book report on If The Fire Comes by Tracy Daley. It is a historical fiction story that takes place during the Great Depression, about a young black boy in California. The class has been reading it for the last couple of weeks, with several activities tied to it. Miss Nine was not all that interested in the story but she did a fine job on the book report.

A friend of mine came over and we went for a walk, ending up at our neighborhood park. The play structure is now open, with a sign advising that you should use the equipment at your own risk. Miss Nine played (at her own risk) and then she liberally applied hand sanitizer. My friend and I walked the path around the park while Miss Nine played. According to my friends Fit Bit I am pretty sure we walked about 300 miles. Or 2, I am not sure which.

After dinner three of our neighbors came over to sit on my deck and have a chat and a beverage. It was a beautiful evening. We discussed world affairs, gardening, and how much we hated taking communal showers in junior high school gym class. Except for making sure that we sat far enough apart, it almost felt like a normal early summer evening.

DAY 68

Miss Nine worked on a weaving project today. We bought this little loom online from JoAnn Fabrics. She was a bit frustrated with it at first but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. She has already made many potholders with a square loom, the kind that you put the cotton loops on and then struggle to weave more loops through them. She sold some of those potholders in our pool store a couple of years ago. Most of them were more like coasters, but the customers loved them. This new loom is a little more like weaving on a large one. She plans to make a playmat for her baby doll Everly. She figures this will require three panels that she will sew together. I figure this will keep her occupied for several days. I have three larger looms that she can try out when she is finished with this project.

She also decided that she wanted to do a photoshoot with her baby doll today. She had definite ideas about how this should go. She carefully planned Everly's outfit, agonizing over which hat and playsuit she should wear. We went for a walk to Dairy Queen and on the way she chose several backgrounds and interesting places to pose her. Miss Nine was the lead photographer. It felt like we were staging graduation pictures.

DAY 67

When I graduated from high school we had our ceremony at Ford Auditorium. My best friend and I cried our eyes out through the entire ceremony because we had both worked so hard and overcome many obstacles to reach that point in our lives. When I think about all of the high school seniors who are missing out on these important celebrations it just breaks my heart. Those last weeks of school when you just can't wait to be done but don't really want to leave, prom, grad parties, all of it stays with you for your whole life. These kids have had to finish out the year under incredible stress, working online to complete their credit requirements. Parents look forward for years to the day that they can watch their child walk across the stage, take their diploma, and flip the tassel on their mortarboard from one side to the other. A virtual ceremony cannot even hope to compare to the real thing.

The businesses in our town have posted pictures of grads in their windows. It's nice to walk around town and see this attempt in our community to make the best of a truly horrible situation.

DAY 66

The new number of cases of COVID-19 in the state of Michigan as of 3:00 p.m. today is 773. 513 of those cases were reported by the Michigan Department of Corrections. Yesterday more than half of all newly reported cases were from the MDOC. This is a clear example of how the virus is spread in crowded conditions.

We had tickets to see James Taylor and Jackson Browne at Pine Knob (I will always call it Pine Knob) on June 13th. I was pretty sure that they would be canceling. Who wants to go sit on the hill with hundreds of other people during a pandemic? Not me. I got an email letting me know that it was rescheduled for June 12, 2021. I chose to request a refund for the ticket price. If we still want to attend I will buy tickets next year.

I am grieving for the many things that we will not be able to do this summer. All of the local festivals have been canceled. The weekly concerts on the courthouse lawn are something that we look forward to, but they will not be happening. I did, however, get confirmation that our camping reservation is still good for the beginning of July. We will be celebrating Miss Nine's birthday there. She will officially become Miss Nine Plus One.

DAY 65

We made Shrinky Dinks today. They are so fun and easy. I bought a kit from JoAnn Fabrics to make Shrinky Dink pins. Miss Nine had never done them and she was super excited when she saw what they do in the toaster oven. You don't need a kit to do them. You can recycle #6 plastic, like the clear clamshell containers that you get in the deli or some take out containers.  Just draw and color a picture with permanent markers, cut them out and put them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pop into a toaster or regular oven at 350 degrees for about three minutes. If you want to use them as charms just hole punch them before baking.

DAY 64

I watched two virtual graduation ceremonies today, one for college grads and one for high school. They both featured celebrity singers and speakers, and President Barack Obama. His words of wisdom and encouragement to these young people were a much needed demonstration of leadership during this difficult time in our country. If only we had this level of leadership in Washington.

On June 6 he will give another commencement speech during YouTube's virtual graduation ceremony Dear Class of 2020. Also speaking at that event will be Michelle Obama, Condoleezza Rice and Malala Yousafzai among others.

I have tried to avoid the political upheaval that surrounds this pandemic, but it is unavoidable. The chaos at the top levels of our government have done nothing to stem the spread of this virus, or to adequately address the needs of those infected. Things have gone very wrong for us in so many ways when those in charge cannot lead effectively, but instead incite division and violence for their own political purposes. This pandemic and the way it has been handled will be the legacy of this administration.

DAY 63

There have been no science or social studies assignments from school, so we have been making up our own lessons in these areas. Today we made crystals using pipe cleaners, string, borax, water and food coloring. I always have borax on hand for laundry, we had all of the other ingredients, so this science experiment was easy to do. The crystals formed in just a few hours. Now we have another one forming while we sleep.

Luckily Miss Nine had her social studies book in her backpack when we got the news that school was closing. The book is Our Michigan Adventure. We are finishing the chapters that they had not covered yet, then we talk about whatever might relate to the chapter. One of the unfinished things going on at school was a lighthouse project. Miss Nine has been quite upset about that, so we are going to do our own lighthouse project here at home.

This is the fun part of home schooling. I just wish I had a teachers lounge that I could go hide out it in the middle of the day.

DAY 62

A quiet day here at Camp Covid-19. Gray and rainy outside, a good time to stay in and relax. We sorted through Miss Nine's summer clothes to see what she has that fits. Surprisingly more than we thought. She made a list of what she needed and then we went online and ordered a few things to fill out her wardrobe. That's my kind of shopping.

We organized her schoolwork, getting ready to turn it in tomorrow. I look forward to school being finished in a few weeks, but I am not sure how we will fill in the days without that to focus on. She had a Zoom meeting with her teacher and classmates yesterday. The teacher talked to the kids about how everyone is struggling with all of the problems related to this stay at home order. I saw on the school Facebook page that they have torn out carpeting at the school and are doing some major updates. I felt kind of encouraged to see that they are preparing for an eventual return to school. I got an email from the superintendent of schools a couple of days ago. He talked about a team of teachers, principals and staff in the district that are planning for in-person instruction, online instruction, a hybrid model and variations of those ideas.

I think first and foremost they need to double the teachers salaries. Those people deserve combat pay on a daily.

DAY 61

We went on a field trip today to The Ledges in Grand Ledge. It was our first time there, and it was amazing!! We met my step son, daughter in law and grandson for a wonderful adventure exploring the area.

We collected violets and ferns to put in our flower press, moss for growing our own moss at home, and a few interesting rocks. There is a small cave about midway along the path that the cousins found to be very interesting. Water running from the rocks made some lovely little pools and quite a bit of mud that we had to navigate around. We saw geese, ducks and swans in the river. 

The sun was shining and it felt so good to be outside doing something normal. The kids were able to play together safely and enjoy each others company. They haven't been able to do that for two months and it was a much needed change of pace.

DAY 60

I managed to place two separate on line grocery orders today despite several technical issues. I also ordered ink cartridges from Staples and rotary cutter blades and a couple of crafty things for Miss Nine from Joann Fabrics. I did a curbside pickup at Staples, but I have been waiting for a notification about my rotary blades. I finally called and was told that it won't be ready for several days. They have 800 orders to process at our local Joann Store. Evidently everyone is feeling crafty.

I have been thinking more and more about what I want to come out of this ordeal with, and what I hope that others have learned in our season of isolation. One of the things I want is to seriously reduce my impact on the planet. Buying less, wasting less, driving less. Most of us have so much more than we need, but we continue to buy more. We consume, at a very high cost to other living things. Think about what the word consume means - to use up.

I have found that ordering groceries online eliminates any impulse buying. I have my list and I stick to it. Of course there are those suggestions about what other people have bought when you get to checkout but I don't fall for that. I figure if I do one large order a month I will reduce the amount of fuel required for pickup or delivery. I am trying to decide how to handle my fresh produce purchases. When the weather is warm I can ride my bike to the grocery store and fill up that big basket in the back. Or I can go to the farmers market three blocks from my house. I have lettuce and spinach planted in my back yard so that I have fresh greens all season. I tried growing them indoors a couple of years ago with limited success. I will try again next winter.

I was never much of a shopper. At some point in the last sixty days I lost any desire to go into a store and search for something to spend money on. I do miss book stores, though. My best friend and I rate our mental health by how many books we come out of a book store with. I am pretty sure that when I can finally go into a book store again I might need a wagon to haul out my purchases. As you can see I really need more books.

DAY 59

Miss Nine and I had a difference of opinion today regarding a math problem. It involved data on a number line. The question was this - How many pencils are between 2 7/8 and 3 2/8 long? Looking at the number line I deduced that there were ten. Miss Nine insisted that there were three. I figured that we should count the ones that were actually those lengths as well as the ones in between those lengths. She emailed her teacher to see who was right. Miss Nine was correct. I think it was a trick question. I guess I need to go back to 4th grade.

DAY 58

Mother's Day. I woke up to a gift and homemade card from Miss Nine. I received a gift in the mail from my oldest daughter, had a phone call from my son in Boston, and went to a baptism for my youngest grandchild who is six weeks old. The event was bittersweet. There could only be ten people in attendance, including the priest and the baby. We all wore masks and tried to maintain our required six feet of distance for the most part. There was no family celebration afterward. It felt to me like a ritual that had to be performed, with none of the joy that should have accompanied it. I was able to hold my granddaughter for the first time, for two minutes, then she was returned to the safety of her mother's arms. Feeling that I could be a danger to those that I love is torturous. The reality is that because of my age I am in more danger than they are, but everyone is afraid. I think the worst thing is seeing no end in sight.

My aunt came over for dinner and we had a very nice visit. She has been like a second mom to me my whole life. It was wonderful to spend some time with her and I gave her a hug when she left. I got another card from Miss Nine and College Boy. I wonder if they realize that me running away from home might still be an option.

DAY 57

Our dog groomer is finally taking appointments, so our girl is going on the 15th for a much needed grooming. There she is - Bella Trenser, window monitor. Today I gave College Boy a haircut. He resisted for several weeks but his hair was finally so long that even he could not stand it. It doesn't look too bad now, but he will need to see a professional as soon as possible for a clean up. I cut my husbands hair a couple of weeks ago. He is easy, I just buzz it and he is good for months. He offered to cut my hair for me but I declined. If my hair salon does not open soon I am going to make an appointment for myself with the groomer.

The teachers at Miss Nine's school have been really great at directing us to fun and interesting projects to do while homeschooling. She is given assignments in math and language that are required. Then she can choose from "bingo boards" for art, music, technology and phys ed. I like this because she is more motivated to complete them when it is her choice. I am sure I am not the only parent who faces resistance with some of the assigned work. Some of the interesting things that we have found are:

Design Your Own Planet - build or draw your own planet and tell three things about it. She invented the Planet of the Baby Dolls. This is where baby aliens are born. She made it out of an exercise ball.

Art using rain
https://nurturestore.co.uk/kids-art-painting-rain

Google Quick Draw
https://quickdraw.withgoogle.com/

Easy Origami
https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/easy-origami-for-kids/

Art lessons on YouTube
https://wanderhomeschooling.com/free-art-lessons-on-youtube-for-homeschoolers/

Teaching lost skills
https://theupcycledfamily.com/homeschooling-teaching-lost-skills/

DAY 56

We worked on a puzzle, turned in all of Miss Nine's schoolwork and cleaned the third floor playroom/t.v. room/school room. Moved all of the school related stuff up there. Called the kid's grandpa to wish him a happy birthday. Took a walk and a nap, made more face masks, cooked dinner. The days are becoming so dreadfully repetitious.

I called a couple of friends and actually sat and talked for a long time. This is one of the benefits of staying at home. I am not in a hurry to get off the phone and go somewhere. Maybe I will make a list of people who I have not talked to in a while and call one person every day. Maybe.

DAY 55

Small, family owned businesses have been the backbone of this country since the beginning. I have heard many reports over the last week or so of small businesses that are closing up for good because of the pandemic. Business owners who have been just managing to keep operating are unable to keep going in the current climate. I am saddened for these owners, their employees and the communities that are made richer by their presence.

We finally got the payroll protection loan that we applied for on day one. So many businesses applied for the loan that the initial money ran out almost immediately. I do not understand how so many large corporations were granted this money. I was under the impression that it was to keep small businesses going. The money is to cover payroll, rent and utilities for two months.

I am on the board of a non-profit organization, The Healing Nest of Mid Michigan, that serves women in treatment for cancer. We normally meet  once a month and offer massage, nail care, facials and many other services to our clients. We of course had to suspend our services for the last two months. Now we are discussing the possibility of closing for good. This is not because of a lack of money, but the danger of bringing these vulnerable women back together in this new era of social distancing. I am heartbroken over the thought of this. My daughter was one of the first clients that benefited from this organization. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was welcomed into the "nest" for treatment. After my daughter died I continued to volunteer, greeting women as they arrived and helping to serve lunch to them. Miss Nine has also helped out on several occasions, serving lunch and cheering up the clients with pictures she draws for them. The women who volunteer there are crazy and beautiful and I love them so much. They give so selflessly, fundraising and serving in the most wonderful ways. My hope is that we will be able to resume at some time in the future when this virus is no longer such a threat.

DAY 54

The number of people affected by the corona virus is staggering. I see the numbers rising every day and I get very discouraged. I wonder how this will play out over the next few months and even years. It can be very depressing.

I am decidedly right brained so I am not generally inclined to turn to math for any reassurance. Today, however, I figured out the percentages related to covid-19 confirmed cases and deaths and I did feel an enormous level of comfort. As of yesterday .19% of people in my county have tested positive for the virus.  In the entire state of Michigan .44% have tested positive. Less than half a percent of all of the population of Michigan. I do realize that this does not take into account the number of people who have had the disease but were not sick enough to be tested. Even in Wayne County, the hardest hit in our state, the percentage of the population that has tested positive is only .99%. Somehow this has changed my perspective on the whole situation. I will continue to be cautious. I will wear a mask and wash my hands and try very hard not to touch my face. I will not, however, be paralyzed by fear.

DAY 53

I stumbled on a new method for making face masks out of old t-shirts, The video I found on Pinterest taught how to make a mask without any sewing. https://youmakeitsimple.com/2020/04/diy-no-sew-face-mask-upcycled-tshirt-5-minutes/ It takes about five minutes. I used my serger to sew the middle together so that it would be secure, but otherwise I did no sewing whatsoever. These masks are super comfy and easy for anybody who has an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors. I made twelve of them in about an hour out of three t-shirts.

Miss Nine was gone with her dad for the day so I had some time to myself. I started off the day with a whole list of things that I wanted to do, but the day was gone before I got half of those things checked off my list. I made masks, did some banking and some grocery shopping. It is still unsettling to me to see how much empty shelf space there is in the stores. Still not a roll of toilet paper to be had in Meijer. How much t.p. can people possible hoard? Quite a lot, evidently. In spite of the order by the governor to wear masks in public there were plenty of people without them. I heard that Costco is not letting anyone in the door without one. I also heard that a security guard at a Family Dollar in Flint was shot because he insisted that a customer wear a face mask in the store. What kind of fresh hell are we living in? Oh, yeah, the same old hell with new levels to strive for. 

DAY 52

We had a rough day here. We woke up, ate breakfast, went for a walk and then started some school work. It was all downhill from there. Miss Nine was uncooperative and whiny. I was angry and frustrated. Three different times I had to walk away and tell her that we were done with school work unless she agreed to cooperate and talk in a normal tone of voice. After a while she would say that she was ready to try again, but she could not stop herself from whining and complaining. She was doing math problems that she mostly knows how to do, but she kept acting like she did not have a clue. When I finally refused to help her any more today she finished the last problems herself. I keep wondering if it is worth it to finish these last few weeks of school. Our mental health is taking a serious hit.

I also had some challenges regarding a business transaction that I am trying to wrap up. There has been one issue after another and today I was particularly fed up with the whole process. Other peoples mistakes keep costing me money and I do not like it one bit.

One positive, though. College Boy was taking the garbage and recycling out to the road. He remembered all on his own that there were full lawn and leaf bags in the garage that needed to go out. That's a first!

By the way, the cat covered in chalk is for comic relief.

DAY 51

I hear a lot of people talk about the weight they have gained since the stay at home order began. I hate to admit that I am one of them. Dairy Queen opened up their walk up side window a couple of days ago. Miss Nine and I went up there on Friday and got an ice cream cone. I had a kid sized vanilla cone and convinced myself that I was being good. I drove by earlier and people were lined up down the block. The supposed social distancing was a little iffy. It's about the only game in town and the weather is beautiful so people were out in force. They are only a few blocks from us and I had to restrain myself from going again today. And I will have to resist every day because although I would like to believe that my scale is a liar I know better.

It was a quiet day here. Miss Nine was at her dad's house. I had a Zoom meeting, did some yard work and took a nap. Made dinner and worked on my puzzle. I don't know how long I can keep up this pace.

DAY 50

We had a gathering of neighbors in our driveway this evening. Yesterday I sent out a text invite to bring your own beverage and come sit in the driveway for some much needed community conversation. I strategically placed out lawn chairs and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Nine neighbors came and we spent an hour and a half enjoying each others company. The sun was shining and it felt so good to be out in the warm weather with good friends.

I had the great pleasure of listening in on the 24 hour Call to Unite, hosted by film producer Tim Shriver. https://unite.us/  An amazing 24 hours of hope, advice, stories and music all aimed at helping viewers to cope with the pandemic. So many of the speakers truly touched my heart. One of the best was Marianne Williamson. Her message about how much we needed this wake up call, and how we can be changed for the better by it was inspiring. Partnering with GiveDirectly to support families around the world who have been hit hard by the pandemic they raised an enormous amount of money for those in need. If you click on the link above you can watch some of the videos of the event. Watching this was a much needed antidote to the protests in Lansing, showing the world who we really are. 

Day 49

There are gifts in every problem if we are able to see aand embrace them. It's so easy to become overwhelmed with the sadness, grief and fear that we become unaware of the lessons that are here for us. I have been thinking a lot about the gifts that accompany this extraordinary event we are experiencing.

• The realization that we are all one. The things that separate us are purely artificial - money, education, religion, politics to name a few. We use these ideas in our daily lives to feel better than, or less than, others. A virus does not recognize those differences. We are all equally vulnerable. Some of us may try and maintain our separateness by convincing ourselves that we are not old enough or compromised enough, or we don't live in a big city. That is what we need to do to get through the day, but it is a lie. We are all in danger of becoming seriously ill or losing someone we love. So for me, one of the gifts is that deep down knowledge that we are all connected and dependent on each other.

• Stillness. I am always in a hurry. I rush through meals. I rarely sit down throughout the day. I multitask like crazy. Crazy! This opportunity to practice the art of sitting still is something that I have needed for most of my life.

• Focus on relationships. The most important thing for all of us is our relationships. At the end of our lives we are not going to wish that we had gotten more done. We will wish for more time with our loved ones. I can't the count number of times I have thought about calling a friend, but I don't because I am in such a hurry to finish a long to-do list. This opportunity to enrich our connections to others can change our lives. The challenge of being in close quarters with our families is real, but we can choose to make the very best of it. Some relationships may be fractured by this. Hopefully more will be deeper and more loving.

• Letting go. We all have things that are probably better left behind, but we hang on out of habit or fear or whatever. This time can be a literal cleaning out of our spiritual closet. We can leave behind those habits that do not serve us. Habits that we developed as children or young adults which are not in our best interest as grow.

The list goes on and on. Look for your gifts, your lessons, and be open to them.