The Pandemic is Over

No, it’s not!  We are just behaving as if it is!  I caught myself this week walking into a Dollar General without my facemask.  I walked all the way into the store, to the back where the cleaning supplies were and didn’t think about my lack of PPE until I saw another customer wearing one.  I immediately gave myself a stern talking to and went back out to the car to sanitize my hands and grab my facemask.  The Bible advises, Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)  Covid-19 is the devil.  The pandemic is not over, we are just acting like it is.  

There are so many signs of summer, that we can easily forget the danger before us.  Schools have closed, not just for the pandemic, but for the summer.  It’s been hot outside.  The air conditioner is on high.  The trees have their full canopy, we hear the cicadas and bullfrogs at night.  Sunset is nearly 9:00PM.  The farmer’s market has all the options. The signs are there, but this is not a typical summer.  

I’ve wondered, when will this be over, I truly am ready to throw away my facemask, and resume hugging my friends and traveling on the weekends.  According to an article in the New York Times, there are two ways a pandemic can end. When new cases and deaths drop dramatically, the medical community will declare the end of a pandemic.  The other way it can end is socially. This is when fear of contracting the virus drops dramatically. 

As I am writing this, the CDC reports 2,016.027 cases in the United States and 113,914 deaths.  The pandemic is not over.  On May 24, when the United States death toll was near 100,000 the New York Times published the names of the victims in their cover story.  The 100,000 victims are much more than numbers.  If you are reading this and personally knew someone who succumbed to the virus, my condolences to you.  The people who have died were people we loved, admired, and relied on, they were not just numbers.  I love that the New York Times recognized this and organized a team to research each of the individual’s obituaries and they included a brief snippet, what I call a lifescript for many of them.  

Bassey Offlong, 25, of Michigan saw friends at their worst but brought out their best.  Antonio Nieves, 33, of Chicago was always busy with some kind of house project.  June Beverly Hill, 85, of Sacramento. No one made creamed sweet potatoes or fried sweet corn the way she did.  Wow, the title is correct, an incalculable loss.  I wonder what my lifescript will be.  My pastor has suggested several times that we each write our own obituary, I haven’t quite gotten around to it, but I realize that everyday is an opportunity to change it for the better.  What will your lifescript be?  What will people say about you after you are gone?  

The pandemic is not over, Coronavirus or Covid-19 is just as present as it was in April, it is still claiming lives each day.  There is no vaccine.  The only way to give your immune system a leg up is to contract the virus and recover, then you should have antibodies to prevent a second infection.  The problem is recovery.  Over 100,000 have died.  The pandemic is not over.  Socially, we may be in recovery, but medically there has not been a drop in new cases.  Please continue to practice social-distancing, keep your hands and face clean, and make good choices.   Remember, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Thank you for reading!
This week, give some thought to your lifescript.  
​Kim