~if all of our troubles~

I'm thankful for so many good memories of this final year in the classroom,  one that will end up being the most strangely memorable of them all.  Even though normalcy was cut short at the 75% mark of completion, we actually were able to get through quite a bit in our fifth grade classroom.  When I stop to look at things and reflect on what all the kids and I did accomplish, it gives a sense of deep pride.

One of the fun reading activities we did was to enjoy a special book together in the latter part of January and early February.  Each day I would do a teacher read aloud during our language arts block of time.  Afterwards, we would add in accompanying activities that allowed the kids to share their interpretation of the book with others.  The story was such a good one that we almost hated to see the final chapter arrive.  I honestly believe that we could have read that book forever and still have wanted to read it more.

In the book, one of the characters named Howard shares a bit of homespun wisdom with the story's protagonist, Charlie.  The subject of life's daily troubles comes up in one of the chapters and Howard explains the message that is emblazoned upon a sampler that his mother has made.

"If all of our troubles were hung on a line, then you would choose yours and I would choose mine."

It offered a life lesson for the kids and I to visit about and when we were finished with all of our activities for the book, I made the message a focal part of our display just outside the classroom door.  That message was clear.  Everyone has problems and if we stop to think about it and compare them to the challenges that others are experiencing, then our problems don't seem so bad after all.

There seems to have been ample time since the virus began in earnest to think about all the troubles we might be encountering.  Trying to avoid the virus and then surviving it if you do catch it are at the top of the list of things to consider.  Add to that a multitude of other challenges like keeping a job or filing for unemployment benefits plus a thousand other worries and then you realize right now we all have a plateful of problems to consider.  How will we pay our bills?  When can be with our families and friends again?  The list can go on and on and on.

It was a Saturday morning in mid-January when I heard Mike yell out from the bathroom, 

"It looks like we have a problem in here Peggy!"

And sure enough we did.  The drain line from the washing machine had backed up into the tub and toilet stool.  If you have ever had sewer problems, especially on the weekend, you know the feeling of dread we were experiencing.  Who on earth would we be able to call?  How long would it take to get there and how much was this going to cost us?   It seemed as if it took forever to get someone to get it fixed, yet in reality it was only a couple of hours from the start of the problem until the finish.  $300 later, we were back in the business of life.  I've thought about that day several times since the "safer at home" orders came out from the state of Oklahoma.  How thankful I am that if we had to encounter a problem like a backed up sewer, that it came on that January morning instead of right now.  

Strange how your perspective changes in the time of a pandemic.

It's Sunday morning and yet another weekend of living in this strange time, but the truth is that Mike and I are pretty much still blessed.  We have a roof over our heads with a mortgage payment that we can easily make.  Our cars have gas in them, good tires, and with such few miles put on them since our last oil change we will get by with less vehicle maintenance this month.  Our children and grandchildren are healthy and still working.  We can stay in contact with our friends and family via social media.  Our church services are online ones but at least we have that option.  Mike and I are holding hands and sticking together throughout this ordeal.  

We patiently wait for the end of the virus.
And as we wait, our faith sees us through.

Staying close to home for the past month has allowed Mike the time to work on many outdoor projects like building his pergola and creating this archway into the garden.  He has worked so hard to improve our property here in Kay County, Oklahoma.