I
remember last general conference when it was announced that our upcoming
conference would be like no other. Many
had speculated change in doctrine. I don’t
know of anyone who would have guessed that most of us would be in quarantine due
to a pandemic.
My
brother, Corey, is an introvert and has been enjoying his time at home –
possibly too much if there is such thing.
I think our parents must have taught us to always make the best of a
situation and to look for gratitude.
Because we have.
Recently
Corey shared what I consider an epistle.
This he shared on facebook, and I am sharing many of his thoughts on
this blog post as it mirrors a lot of my own gratitude as we experience this weirdness.
Although
we know that not everybody has these things, we are both grateful for
electricity, running water, for the ability to communicate electronically and
by phone. We are grateful for the time
that we have to focus on unfinished projects, meditation, and the opportunity
to feast upon the words of Christ.
We
are grateful for concern that others have exhibited toward one another during
these difficult time. And though there
are some who may find social media jokes and poking fun at something so
serious, we are grateful having the ability to laugh and use this as a defense
mechanism.
We
are both grateful for the opportunity this has given humanity to recognize that
we are all in this together. I am
grateful that as Roland has always worked from home (at least since we’ve been
in Oregon) that he is still employed.
Corey
also mentioned how grateful he is to be in quarantine with Joh and how blessed
they are to have quality time between them as their lives often seem to become
complicated and will sometimes pull them in different directions.
I
also enjoy being in quarantine with optimistic people. I know not everybody has someone or else they
might have more than they feel they can handle for months at a time. For example, I know the families next door
and across the street already had more people than what their houses were
designed to accommodate. That many people in that small of a space can get
overwhelming quickly.
There
is so much to be grateful for. Corey
used this quote from Maya Angelou: “Every
Storm runs out of rain.”
May
we all endure this in a positive way and remember we haven’t been forgotten; we
are all in this together.
