Corona anyone? And I am not talking the beer

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This is such a different life........
I order groceries online.
I order books, games and puzzles, many different things to keep us busy.
We watch church in our jammies or sweats,  lounging together in the family room with the dogs by our side.  
If I have to go to the grocery store, I wear my face mask and stay 6 feet away from everyone and pray every time I leave a store that I didn't come in contact with anyone that is sick.

The house is now dusted on a regular basis, honestly, something that I seldom did before.
We moved in to this house before it was finished (which I do not recommend) and now those things that remained unfinished are now getting done.  I do love that

We are bound in this house together, but it is something that I have been missing, and it has pulled this part of my life back that I have needed.  Katie is finished with college and ready to start the next chapter of her life and we may not ever have time like this again.

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Lamar tilled the garden and planted quite a lot of vegetables.  He has built his shed, and any other project that he can get his hands on.  He likes being here more but he is stressed about the uncertainty of the future, and I cannot blame him.

FaceTime & Zoom have become a huge source of communication with the outside world.  Bible study group, school meetings and being able to see friends and family faces, it makes a huge difference.
Driving back and forth from Davenport to Bettendorf I see driveways and yards with families laughing, talking and playing games together.  Most of them forced to be together in isolation, but I see them smiling and having fun.  I wonder to myself, when this is over, will the front yards be empty again? Will the time that we intentionally take now to talk to others on a daily basis, will that become less frequent once again?

I have slowly figured out that I don't want things to go back to normal.  Not the normal of what I had just a few short months ago.  

This is what I now pray for my future. 

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I pray that the next time I am able to hug one of my friends that I actually take the time to appreciate the gift of their touch and hold on a few seconds longer.  

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I pray that when school starts again and parents are dropping off their kiddos, they take the time to thank the school facility & staff for the amazing gift that they give to us and our community.  

I pray that the next time I am able to sit in a crowded restaurant that I look around at smiling faces, and be thankful for the servers, staff and cooks and the ability to eat out and not have to do dishes. 

I pray that the next time I am standing in our worship center at church that I take a moment to say thank you to God for the blessing of our congregation and being able to hear other voices sing praise & worship. 

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I pray that the next time I see a person or situation that needs prayer, I pray as passionately and fervently as I have these past few months.  I never want to take for granted that God is always there for me. 

I pray that the next time I am getting groceries that I thank God that he provides us with the necessities of life and the amazing people who work hard to keep food on our table. 

I pray that we take the lessons and challenges of the past few months and make a new normal.  
My intent for the future and whatever lies ahead is to pray more, love harder, hug more and truly appreciate the daily abundance of blessings that before I so easily overlooked. 

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"May the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. "  Numbers 6:24

The Blessing Live by Elevation Worship & Kari Jobe









The Photos have been labeled and marked for their copyright ownership