After 2.25 years of avoiding it, Covid found me this week. Actually, it found my hosts in Florida and none of us knew it until we’d all spent enough time together that it was a done deal for all of us.

The good thing is the timing – we are all triple vaxxed at this point. And our plans for this week were easily adjusted. So we are staying in the house and waiting out our quarantine time.

The only symptoms I’ve been feeling are a slight headache and exhaustion. I’ve slept about 24 hrs out of the last 36. I was definitely asleep more than awake yesterday. And then slept for a full 9hrs last night. This is not anywhere near normal for me. But if it is the worst thing that I must deal with in fighting the virus, that’s just fine with me.

It’s odd to think back to all of the fear and confusion of March 2020 – when we were afraid to touch anything and seeing another person on your sidewalk or in your grocery aisle could make you jump out of your skin. I’ve heard too many stories of people devastated by this disease: whole families who died separate and alone in hospital; people who should have weathered it fine but ended up staring death in the eye; those who continue to struggle with debilitating symptoms a year or more after infection.

And I guess what I mostly want to express is gratitude. For all those who have worked so hard to save or to comfort the sick and the dying. For all those who sat in a lab running tests that lead to the development of the vaccines. For all those who got their shots, masked up, and made the difficult decision to not spend time with a wide array of others.

My prayers are with the burnt-out healthcare workers, and all those who continue to grieve those they’ve lost to the pandemic. And I invite you to pray with me, dear friends. So many have lost so much in the last couple of years. So many of us have struggled.

So many are still hip-deep in the struggles, wondering if they can make it another step.

Let’s use our prayers to ask God to give strength, comfort, hope and undying love anywhere and everywhere it is needed!