Birthdays in the time of Covid 19

Good friends of our have children with birthdays today and tomorrow. Today their oldest turned eight. Tomorrow their second-born turns four. Birthday parties are an important part of kids' lives at these ages. But they aren't able to get together with their friends, or even their grandparents, aunts, uncles, counsins, etc.

But they can still happen--just not in a normal style. Our friends put out a message on facebook for people (mostly from church as they didn't have contact info for all the classmates) to drive by between noon and two and give a birthday greeting. We walked over since they're in the neighborhood. We took some happy birthday banners and a couple of cards we made. The family was in their front yard. They had a sign out front for the birthdays. There was plenty of sidewalk chalk decorating the driveway.

A few other families were parked in front of their house. We waved to each other. At one point we all sang happy birthday. While we were standing there I saw a police car drive by on the side street. A few seconds later it came back. My first thought was that we were in trouble for all being out, though we were all over six feet apart (outside individual family units of course). The lights came on the squad car, but then we heard, "Happy birthday!"

A little while later my wife and I left to continue on our afternoon walk (the kids had biked home on their own). Just a block away I noticed a police car heading toward us with another one after it. And another one. By the time I saw the third one, I figured the first guy had called in and gotten a few other officers in the area to come by to wish a happy birthday to our friends. But it wasn't three cars coming by to give their well wishes. It was seven. The lights went on and we heard their bullhorn saying happy birthday to them. I admit, the tears welled up a little at the outreach of the law enforcement.

And it wasn't just them. When we were standing at the end of their driveway, countless strangers driving by rolled down windows and shouted happy birthday. OUr friends even said that one guy walking by gave them the seven dollars he had in his wallet. Everyone understands how hard it is to be a kid (or even an adult) in this time.

Even in this time of being sheltered-at-home there are ways to love our neighbors. We always have a chance to be the good in the world.

School in the time of Covid 19

The biggest change for our children, I believe, is school. They had spring break early in March and came back to the schols being closed. I don't think it was on anyone's radar at that point that they wouldn't be going back to school for a while. Originally the first two days after spring break were called off by the school district. Then the governor called off the next week and a half. Then the shelter at home order came for two weeks in April and has now been extended into May. Other states have called off the remain school year. We're not sure if we'll be going back or not.

So I haven't been working for about a month and a half now. There is no need for substitute teachers, of course. But the teachers are busy. Our state started doing distance learning at the beginning of April. It was good once it started--the kids needed it. Our middle schoolers have all of their classes every day. Their teachers make a folder online with the weeks' work. Each day they go in and do a lesson and the work. They can choose when they want to do it. Only one of my son's classes has had a live video chat.

The high school spilt the school day into an A and B day. They only have 5 periods, so A day has 3 and B day has 2. In between the classes the teachers are available for questions or other needs. Some of those classes are taught live online. Others have a video lesson to watch and work to do. They've had a fair amount of homework (at least in the AP & Pre-AP classes that our kids have).

The vidoe classes have been good in that the kids kind of get to interact with other students. I think that's what the children are missing most--the social interaction--that and normalcy, of course.

For their PE classes, they're supposed to get in 30 minutes of exercise a day: walking, running, playing tennis, shooting hoops, dancing, weight lifting, situps/pushups, etc. That's been helpful in getting them up and moving and usually going outside.

But my middle schooler is missing the hands-on part of his industrial technology class. The musicians won't get to do concerts this year. My step-daughter didn't get to perform the musical she had been rehearsing for. And then there's my nephew and guys from youth group who are seniors and missing out on that whole experience--prom, last days with their friends, maybe even graduation itself.

I think it's giving everyone an appreciation for school again--even those who typically hate going to school most days.

Easter in the time of Covid19

Easter was different this year. Now, it would have been different regardless of the pandemic going on as the majority of our kids were at their other parents' homes, so we had our Easter meal and the kids found their baskets of candy on Palm Sunday.

Easter 2020 was a virtual experience, of course, as everyone is supposed to be Sheltered at Home. We didn't get on in time to do "live church," but we watched some Easter services. Parts of four of them. It is kind of fun to see parts of other services--especially where friends are involved.

But it's very different not being around a church family on Easter morning.

When I was growing up Holy Week was a big deal. Albert City, Iowa, was the home of just under 1000 people back then. There were three churches in town--Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free, and Evangelical Lutheran (and a couple more Lutheran churches in the country). During Holy Week the churches would work together for a variety of programs. They would take turns hosting a special speaker (often someone from the church's seminary) who would speak a couple evenings during the beginning of the week. There would be a men's prayer breakfast and a women's tea. Each church typically did their own thing for Maunday Thursday/Good Friday (I honestly don't remember well if we did things both evenings or not). On Sunday morning--early at 7am--the youth from the three churches would put on a Sunrise Service (again, rotating which church hosted and led the service; the churches not leading the service usually provided a musical selection). My senior year we had a trumpet player from each church, so myself and two girls were in the balcony of the Lutheran church playing trumpet along with some of the hymns (like perenniel favorite Up From the Grave He Arose). After the service there would be a brunch--typically an egg bake and cinnamon rolls would make an appearance. Then we'd have a short respite before going to our own church's regular services. Extended family would be home for the holilday there would be a bunch of second and third cousins in church. We usually would have Easter Dinner at my grandparents' or an uncle's home (sometimes our own). My mom usually made a three-dimensional rabbit cake with green-dyed coconut "grass". We'd have an Easter Egg hunt outside with dyed hard-boiled eggs. Earlier in the morning (between the two church services, I believe, we'd run back home to hunt for our hidden basket and hidden candy eggs around the living room--usually foil-wrapped little cocolate eggs and some malted-milk ball eggs).

I do remember some egg hunts outside in the snow, but that was a rarity. Yesterday we had several inches of snow which felt cruel after the previous day's 60 degree temperature where we were hiking ouside. A church friend from my wife's Bible study group drown through the snow to deliver a hyacinth. We could only wave from our window.

Sheltered at Home Church

Because our kids are all with their other parents this coming weekend (an odd sentence that only blended families have reason to use), we had our "Easter" yesterday. The kids had baskets full of candy to find. We had ham and company potatoes for dinner after church.

Church. Or what is now church.

Everything is new in this quarantined, virus-plagued world. We've been doing church online for several Sundays now. We've got two different churches between us (and multiple service choices between those two). We've been donig a pre-recorded video (I know some do a facebook live type event), and trying to gather the family together at a certain time. We still try to sing the hymns, say the prayers, and take some sermon notes. This past Sunday my church had recommended people have bread and juice/wine on hand to do communion. That helped make it feel a little more church like.

Jesus said that where two or three are gathered in His name, there His amongst them. But what if two or three can't gather together? In our case, we're lucky because of the size of our household. But a family does not make a church. A community makes a church. Yet in our online world, two or three can gather though oceans apart.

I'd like to say I'm deepening my spiritual disciplines during this time. Partly, it's hard to find quiet space while being sheltered at home with five other people. Partly, I haven't done any major attempts at it (which is the real reason nothing has happened). With all the changes, it's sometimes hard enough just to live life without getting swept away in the confustion of it all. Which probably gives all the more reason to give more focus to my relationship with God right now.

So let's do it. I guess in the midst of Covid 19, there are questions. Where is God in all this? Why is He letting this happen? Is there a bigger purpose--some "good" thing that is to come out of this? How do I love my neighbor during this? How do I love myself? What about my fears of not having an income for a while? How do I raise my children up right during this? What will our new normal be?

I don't have the answers. I know God is present and that He cares. I know because He's proven that when I've gone through tough stuff in life before. IJ know He wants to hear these things from me. That I need to tell Him. I also know He has things He wants me to hear from Him--things like I am loved, that I am not in control, and that He can be trusted.

And thankfully I am not in this alone. We're in this together, and many people are providing great resources (worship videos, uplifting messages, ideas for families, etc.).

The mantra that has followed me from different places in life (working at Bible camp in Iowa, worshipping at church in Minnesota, serving in Ecuador, and other places in between) has been:

God is good. All the time.
And all the time, God is good.

Even in the midst of chaos, there is goodness to be found. Like under those decaying leaves from last fall where the flowers are starting to poke up through the ground. Or from the children down the street who write encouraging messages with sidewalk chalk on their driveway. Or in taking communion together as a family at home.