Quarantined...When Busy Lives Come to a Screeching Halt

If you live in most of our world, the word "quarantine" has become well-known.  Because I am a mother of four teenagers, my life has been a blur of driving one child to some sport's practice, another to a band/choir practice.  Spring became a slurry of concerts, awards programs, and church events.  As a matter of fact, there have been times where I just wanted some time off from it all.  Boy, did I get this!  Everyone of us has been in the place where we have visualized what we would do if we gained some real "time off."  You would make time for family, really dig into the Word, or concentrate on a hobby you always wanted to do.  My question for you is have you done any of this?  My first day of quarantine, I knew we were in trouble when my almost grown children got into a screaming match over who ate whose hot pocket.  Yes, you heard me right.  My family almost drew blood over a hot pocket.  I stepped in as a faithful therapist, but that only lasted so far.  As we have spent more time as a family, we begin to see all of those little characteristics that drive us crazy in each family member.  My son has become very independent since he has moved to college.  He got a job that paid his room and board and worked at his school for tuition.  He has basically moved out and only visited once a year.  Now, because of the virus, he has been forced to mostly give up his job, move home from college, and leave his close friends.  This has been a major upheaval in his life.  The only plus is he isn't living in our basement (hee hee-we don't have a basement), but you get my drift.  He is going through the grief of giving up independence.  My other children were very involved in their schools.  Now, they sit in quarantine remember the "good old days"  when they could go to school.  All of this frustration and grief builds until everyone is attacking everyone else.  Why do you eat your cereal so loud?  Who ate the last cookies?  Why is there no toilet paper!  Did dad just leave to go to the grocery store?  Why do we have to stay here, and he gets to leave?  Then comes the bargaining.  I'll buy you a shake if I can do to the drive-through at a restaurant.  Mom, can I get you something from the store? As parents, we have gone into shock.  Our busy lives have stilled.  There are no ball games, no concerts, no banquets.  It's just God and our family.  Isn't that what it should have been all this time?  There are family meals again where everyone can sit together.  There are family movies.  We sit in our homes and watch church service together.  When we look at the pyramid of life importance, it should be turned upside down with the biggest part on top.  It should be God, family, jobs, then all the other stuff.  Even though the virus has brought hardship,  let's take this time to see that this is the chance to get our lives back in the right order. Like the picture above, look for God's beauty in the chaos.

Have a great week in quarantine high-heeled warriors!