Categories
motivation

Insurance and Assurances

Cartoon of a boy in bed. He says to his mom, "But if we have health insurance, why didn't it keep me from getting sick?"

It’s been a difficult week for the United States and the world. Some have insurance. Few have assurances when people will get to go out again and mingle. It is a tough time for parents who have to juggle the normal challenges of raising a family with a pandemic and a little cabin fever thrown in for good measure.

This morning, I hear birds singing outside my window. They don’t have a clue all the stress humans are experiencing right now. They are carrying on with their spring rituals. They are finding food and building nests in anticipation of the little ones.

There have never been full assurances that life would be the same as it ever was. Things have changed this year, and there will be more changes. But life will go on. There will still be joyous times even in the midst of the challenges. There will be choirs singing, kids playing sports and joyful reunions someday soon. Just hang on today while we negotiate social distancing and how our health insurance plans actually work. We can do this together!

Cartoon of a boy in bed. He says to his mom, "But if we have health insurance, why didn't it keep me from getting sick?"
Categories
motivation

Worry, the Joy Robber

There is certainly no shortage of things to worry about today. Security of any kind feels like it’s in short supply. What seemed like a sure thing at the beginning of 2020 is a distant memory four months later.

Many of us have time on our hands, thanks to no commuting, travel or group activities. This week would have been busy for my wife and me because, well, it’s the week before Easter. But now, we have plenty of time wondering what we would have been doing if things were out and about.

Worry is counter-productive. It not only robs us of joy, but also creativity, hope, productivity, and well-being. It takes responsibility to improve things out of our hands and puts it in the hands of governments and institutions that are frankly struggling too.

If you find yourself worrying today, turn off the news, start finding some things to be grateful for, and ask what this makes possible. Start envisioning a future where you are on the other side of this crisis and are better for it. We will learn from this season. And remember, it’s only a season. Things will change. They will one day change for the better.

Quote: "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy." Leo Buscaglia
www.brainyquote.com/s/a_1a827

Categories
motivation Parenting Cartoons teaching

A Salute to the Sudden Homeschooling Parent

I know it must be rough. If you weren’t already a homeschooling parent, it had to be quite challenging to become one without much notice or preparation. I’ve heard more than one parent express admiration for their child’s school teacher. It has changed your relationship with your kids. You may be doing it while you are juggling your job duties. It is probably complicated by a tinge of cabin fever as we await stay-at-home orders to be lifted.

I give a salute to you! It can’t be an easy task. You can take some solace in knowing that you were your child’s first teacher. They have already learned much from you. They also notice how you are juggling so much during this crisis. They admire you much more than they will let on.

Go on and fill your kids with knowledge. Let them know you are with them, are for them, and as a family, you will get through this. When this is a memory one day, your kids will have fond memories of a time that today you are finding quite stressful.

Categories
church cartoons Easter holiday

A Very Different Palm Sunday

Cartoon of two children with palm branches

It’s Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week for Christians across the world. It is a very different Palm Sunday for almost everyone. Frequently, our day would start out with wrangling kids, passing out palm branches and marching them into the sanctuary with a triumphant flair.

Palm Sunday reminds me of what a difference a week makes. Jesus goes from riding into Jerusalem triumphantly as the crowd shouts “Hosanna! which means save now! They are expecting a king which will abolish Roman tyranny and establish a new kingdom.

By the next Sunday, Jesus had been arrested, convicted, crucified, died, and resurrected from the grave. No wonder the disciples’ heads were spinning! A lot can happen in a week.

This Palm Sunday, there won’t be spring breakers going to Florida. There won’t be churches with boys and girls bugging each other with palm branches. What there will be are faithful people gathering together around a computer or television to worship. We will remind each other that things can look bleak, then turn in an instant. We will encourage each other with the hope that things are rarely what they appear and they will be better someday.

We will also implore God to Hosanna!: Save now!

Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

Psalm 118:25-26 King James Version (KJV)
Cartoon of two children with palm branches
Categories
Internet love Social Media

Is It Easier or Harder to Love Your Neighbor These Days?

Illustration of a man suspiciously looking over a fence while a dog observes him with Concern
Copyright © 2007 Kevin Spear

Is social distancing getting the better of you these days? Do you find it hard to love your neighbor while maintaining a distance of at least six feet (1.8288 meters)? Do you find yourself wondering what everyone else is doing on the other side of the fence?

This morning, my wife and I went to the grocery early. We figured it was best to get there before the crowds really kicked in. Well, the crowds were already at our grocery by 7:00 AM. I can only imagine how it would go up from there. The cashier remarked that they were going to limit the number of people within the store Monday and that would add to today’s crowds.

I needed some items at the local big-box retailer. It was less crowded. But that was because they were already limiting the number of people in the store. Both places were limiting the amount of “necessary items” you could purchase. At the big-box retailer, I saw a guy stopped for attempting to purchase an excess of bathroom tissue. It was probably for the best. The guy could not have gotten all of that into his car anyway.

I have to admit, it’s been easier to keep in touch with my friends in other states than locally. It seems silly to have a video conference with someone in the same town, but acceptable to do the same with someone out of state. I’ll need to get over that stigma.

The Internet and social media make it easier for me to keep in touch with friends and family. But I am ashamed to admit it’s hard to connect with the family next door since I don’t know their names. This extended time of quarantine has made me reconsider how I connect with people and what is the best way to do that once we get back to some form of mobility again.

What about you? Have you found it easier or harder to connect with your neighbors during the stay-in-place orders?

Illustration of a man suspiciously looking over a fence while a dog observes him with Concern
Copyright © 2007 Kevin Spear