The Necessary Road to Hope

How are we doing, everybody? Matt and I went to Lowe’s for a lawn mower spark plug on Sunday, him and me in face masks. Someone at church made them for us. I jokingly said, “Make sure his fabric works for a pastor.” She chose black skulls and flowers for him, if you need a smile for today. I’m pretty sure Pastor Matt looked like he should have been paying for the spark plug and then jumping on a Harley.

It’s been quite a month. For a while there I felt like I was trying to tread water with all of my clothes on.

I became a grandma on April 6, to a perfect little Lewis Parker, but black fear often swirled around the days before he arrived, until I couldn’t breathe sometimes. And all of that happened while our school shut down and I became a remote teacher overnight.

Stress. Fear. Wondering. Covid-19 reports included a death in our valley, and I knew his name and his face and his beloved wife.

I’ve bobbed my head up out of the water of emotions many times, to find joy and to laugh in this ordeal, only to sink back down at unexpected times and with unexpected force.