~Happy 244th America! Please dear country, get well soon!~

The last nearly 4 months have been hard ones.
There's no saying it any other way.
Hard.  Difficult.  Challenging.  Character building.

 From that date in mid March when I realized that I wouldn't be seeing any of my 5th grade students for a long, long time until today as we ready ourselves to celebrate the 244th birthday of our country, each new day has brought its share of challenges.  The fear of the unknown and of every single change that a person has to now get used to, can bring out the angst in the best of folks.

 It brought it out for me.
I don't mind admitting it.
It helps to be honest about things like that.

 There is aplenty to worry about and more than our share of things to have anxiety attacks over.  Jobs disappear.  Money runs out.  Groceries have gone up exponentially in price.  It's easier than ever to spend $100 and carry your purchases out in two plastic bags.  Families and friends are unable to see one another for fear of spreading the virus. There are those, myself among them, who don't feel comfortable at all in crowds of people where no one is wearing a mask or keeping their social distance.  Civil unrest and questions of just who is in charge of the mess we are in only add to the mix.

 You can lose sleep over the trials of the current situation if you let it.
It has happened to me numerous times.
So what to do?

 Yesterday something dawned on me as I was anxiously thinking about the days that will lie ahead for us here on earth, not only for those of us in America but for the whole world as a matter of fact.  I got to thinking about all the good things in life that even in the midst of chaos are mine to remember and behold.  Our vehicles both run and so far, it's not hard at all to be sure the gas tanks are full.  I can't remember the last time I had a flat tire.  For today, we have plenty of money to pay our bills and thankfully there have been no huge and unexpected expenditures.  The pantry is full and has been so since mid March.  Mike and I could survive for several weeks without even leaving the house.  Sadly, not everyone can say that.  My 3 children have been gainfully employed throughout all of this, never having to rely on the unmerciful at times unemployment system.  They and their families are all well and thriving.  I'd love to be able to see them and hold my granddaughters once again, but for now at least we have modern technology to utilize instead.  Mike and I have made the choice to continue to watch church services online, but my faith has never wavered.  Instead, it has grown stronger.

 My change of thinking led me to say one simple statement to Mike~
"We are so fortunate to have made it this far through the virus."
And indeed we are.
It's all in a thing called perspective and sometimes it's hard to remember.
So on this day of remembrance of our independence and the birth of a new nation, it causes me to pause and say~

 Happy 244th America!
Please dear country, get well soon!

 Mike and I celebrated our first Independence Day together on July 4, 2013.
We saw those beautiful mountains in the background every single day from the front porch of our home in Montrose, Colorado.  I don't believe we gave one thought to the notion that 7 years into the future, the world would be going through a pandemic.  And you know what?  I'm very glad that we didn't.  Happy birthday to my home country, the United States of America.  Times will get better.  It only seems like they won't.

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