So, it’s been awhile! Like, a long while. I can practically feel the caked dust smearing across the screen as I type. My apologies. I’ve been…contemplating.
Last summer I debated on whether or not to resuscitate this blog because I was torn for many reasons. I love to write. I need it. It’s one of my lifelines for the good, bad and ugly of life. But sharing my thoughts and musings with the world? Why, exactly? Am I fulfilling some innate personal need? If so, what is that? Do people actually care about what I have to say? Is it appropriate for me to do this during this season of my life, or should I sit quietly until who knows when? And there are so many blogs out there already…
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
(This is just a snippet of what goes on in my brain about any given subject, by the way.)
Here’s the truth: I am not sure what the purpose of this blog is. I don’t think there is just one, really. All I know is that I love to write because I do it so much better than I speak, and it’s a way for me to talk about the light and heavy things of life.
Well, turns out there’s a lot of heavy going on in the world right now.
Who would’ve ever thought at the end of last year that come 2020, we would be in the midst of a global pandemic, rationing every day household items, working and schooling from home, and would fear leaving our own homes to do something as simple as grocery shop? It’s been quite an experience, and we haven’t even seen the peak of it yet.
I heard it mentioned recently that we need to be documenting this time in history, how this pandemic, that we are currently in the thick of, affects our every day lives. The emotions, the sounds (or lack thereof…it’s been eerily quiet around here lately), the sights…they are the things we connect with as human beings; they keep these experiences alive for years to come. One of the greatest things I have learned in this life is just how important people’s stories are. Facts are critical. Numbers and statistics are informative. But it’s the personal accounts and perspectives of how this has affected people’s lives that will be remembered.
My friend, Annie, recently posted this picture on her Facebook page, which she has given me permission to share with you:
The married couple in the photo is her great-grandparents. Both of them died during the Spanish Influenza of 1918. Annie’s grandfather got the flu at 5 years old but recovered and was raised by his paternal grandparents and Annie’s great great aunt, Esther. Esther recorded everything she remembered around the time of his parents’ deaths so it could be shared with family members. Annie now has this incredible first-hand account of what went on during that epidemic, a priceless look into how that experience affected those in her family. She has read it through with her daughters, and now they have their own journals they are starting record their own experiences in of this crazy time of COVID-19.
Annie’s post got me thinking of what my memories of these strange times will be. Will they be confined to some Facebook posts or an Instagram story here and there? Or, since I actually have the time right now, should I dust this thing off and start typing out the nitty gritty? I think yes.
I was looking for a reason to start writing in this space again, but I never in a million years thought it would come from a super contagious virus. These are some weird times, my friends. Looking forward to sharing some of my own perspective of these strange days, and I hope you will share yours with me as well.
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