Open Spaces
Vol.: 20.4
By John W. Vander Velden
April 22, 2020
Greetings, how are
you holding up?
During this time
of unprecedented events, things are not the way they were just a couple of
months ago. It seems most of us fall into two categories, those deemed
essential and those not.
Yet none of us march
onward in the same pattern that had been our lives. Perhaps you are among those
that continue to work. On one hand you are grateful for being able to earn your
salary, but you are also concerned about those you work with, or others that
pass a bit too close, or those you need to serve. Do you work in health care?
Do you fear that you might bring this illness home?
Of course you take
precautions...But.
Or are you among
those asked to remain in your home. The mail hasn’t stopped, and bills continue
to come, don’t they? While you remain within your home, perhaps surrounded by
others of your family, you wonder how long this situation must continue, and
will you be able to pay your obligations?
The whole world
seems shifted.
Have faith dear
friends, this situation will not go on forever. Yet even so we wonder what the
“new normal” will be when Covid-19 is but a memory.
Hold your head up
for you have faced changes before. You have the strength and the ability to go
boldly forward. Remember how frightening it was to graduate from high school. Attending
classes had been such a large part of your life. Why even summer break was
tempered by the knowledge that classes would began again in August or
September. And though, with your graduation, you might not have known what lay
in your immediate future, and how you would get through them, weren’t you
excited about the prospects? The unknowns of life are a bit scary, but remember
we are not alone...never alone.
For even the most
of the home bound have their family, and those that do not can reach out to others.
Think about the ways we can communicate with one another. At our fingertips are
access points to the world beyond. Technology our grandparents couldn’t
imagine. Now is a great time to reach out to friends half a world away, or
family that may be nearby but have drifted out of touch. So reach out...do it.
And know that you
are not the only one that face these difficult times. We, all of us, one way or
the other, are like you, dealing day by day with this crisis. But on those
times you feel most alone, never forget God is there with you, closer than your
next breath.
As for this
writer, my life has been altered less than most. And among those changes is a
bit more time. Not a great deal but a few hours a week. I have used that
“extra” time for two things. One: keyboarding... or writing. Even my stumbling
fingers have been able to add pages to my current project. Two: I have taken some of time to learn a bit
of “new stuff”. Dabbled a bit in video conferencing in case the need comes up,
and posted my first video, a virtual Author’s Event, on Facebook.
I will leave it to
those that have viewed those phone filmed minutes to decide if I had been
effective. Jackie was surprised by my boldness. In truth so was I. But I hope
to try it again...and soon.
So the author part
of me remains busy. And even as the first draft, of project that presently has
my focus, approaches 350 pages, I look forward to the next step at its
completion. For my mind is filled with stories demanding to be told, and as
long as God gives me breath and the energy I hope to share some of them with
you one day.
It seems I have
babbled TOO long so I must end this letter to you my dear friends. I thank each
of you that have read Misty Creek or Elizabeth’s Journey. I want to thank you for the positive
words you have given, whether in person, on social media, by mail, or by
e-mail. THANK YOU ALL!
Take care and stay
well,
Blessings,
John
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