Who would’ve thought that the arrival of C-19 in our world’s history would’ve changed our lives so drastically? Yes, we’ve heard of countries suffering from certain diseases, malnutrition, poverty, crime, natural disasters, etc. all the time and so when I heard about China suffering from this novel virus C-19 I thought it too shall pass just like ebola and the like. But, boy, was I wrong.

I can still vividly remember that one particular day in March 2020. My class just had so many challenges that day that we felt like we needed a reset. We cleaned our lockers. We cleaned our classroom as though we were going on a break or something. Did we know that was going to be the last day of in-person class? No.

I was grateful to be able to stay home with my eleven month old infant then whose birthday was just a few days away when our governor announced the lockdown. I didn’t realize the repercussions of that statement then until I went back to the classroom few days after to send students’ learning materials home. That was the last time I saw most of my students. Some didn’t even come, unfortunately.

Since the government’s mandate to stay home, wear a mask, wash hands frequently, social distance, etc our lives have changed. The young ones may not fully understand these yet but they’re growing in this world with new norm. Our 21-month old daughter would once in a while reminds me to grab my mask before stepping out of the vehicle. Whenever she’d see me pushing my mask down for a bit to get some air, she’d graciously pull it for me. When Daddy isn’t wearing his even if we’re outdoors she’d tell him to wear his mask. It’s crazy.

Sadly, our daughter just like others out there are growing up with this new norm. Sadly. I say sadly because she’s missing a lot of beautiful smiles out there. Most of the people she meets are wearing masks thus hiding the smiles that bring joy and gladness in our hearts. Also, she’s more hesitant to interact with people who have their masks on even if those are people that she actually knows. She just can’t identify yet who’s who behind those masks. Sigh. This is so disheartening. In a couple of months, she’d need to mask up herself. That I am not looking forward to. 😦

As a mother, I pray that things will go well soon. I am not honestly sure if they will but I am trying to be positive and to ride above the tides of fears,uncertainties, and challenges our world is facing. I know, just like other mothers out there, we long for those days that we can just freely go to places without having to worry about masks and sanitizers and recreational areas being open. I praise God for places that still somehow allow parks to remain open. It’s a great place to go and get our children be in touch with nature somehow especially for those ones who live in the cities. Praise God for those who have recreational areas in their properties! Praise God for those who live in the country where it’s easy to get sunlight, fresh air, and exercise!

Anyway, let’s be grateful for what we still have. Yes, there’s tons of uncertainties out there but let’s live in faith and not in fear. Let’s do what we can for our children to grow in a “normal” world in our homes. Let’s continue to ask for wisdom and strength from God because He’s the only One who can help us.