This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday link up. We write for just 5 minutes on a one-word prompt and see what happens. No heavy editing allowed. Today’s prompt is “determine.”
It’s been a disappointing week. I had in-person things lined up several days: a dinner meeting, coffee with a friend, our monthly MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meeting where I’m a mentor mom, and dinner with two long-time friends that I haven’t seen in years.
And then my husband got Covid. *sigh* We didn’t know until yesterday (Thursday) that it was for sure Covid. It was a mild case and he thought it was just seasonal allergies until he got a low-grade fever. So, while we waited for results (rapid tests are very hard to come by around here), we had to isolate.
I had to take a long look at what my priorities were. The beginning of the year is usually a time when people set goals, make resolutions, etc., but rather than go big, I needed to decide whether or not I was going to be OK with my fun week all of a sudden being ripped apart.
I haven’t been OK with it.
But yesterday as we waited, the Lord and I had a long talk. I haven’t done much in the past two years. Fun outside of my house has been hard to find. But I didn’t want to be that person who just went about their business knowing I very well might have been exposed to the virus.
So I had to determine in my heart to accept the losses with grace. My dinner meeting was held virtually, coffee with my friend can be rescheduled, MOPS met without me and didn’t fall apart, my friends are still my friends even though we can’t be together.
Disappointing, yes, but not the end of the world. I am determined to find the beauty alongside the losses. God is still good.
I’m also determined to not let this virus take over my life. I’m vaxxed but not boosted yet, careful but not obsessively so, concerned but not frightened. I want to be respectful of other people’s opinions and choices and hope they are respectful of mine.
So now I wait to see if I start showing symptoms. Every little sniffle, every clearing of my throat from drainage that *could be* allergies and the sinus issues that come with Florida’s flakey winter weather, start me praying and hoping that my immune system will do its job.
I’m supposed to go on a retreat with several friends in 6 days. I am cautiously hopeful that will happen.
Compelled 
This is a good determination, “So I had to determine in my heart to accept the losses with grace. I am determined to find the beauty alongside the losses. God is still good.”
I pray your husband recovers quickly, you stay well, and you are able to go on your retreat.
Thanks, Lisa. Just found out another retreat I have coming up in February has been shifted to a one-day event rather than a whole weekend away. So, we hunker down once again. Thanks for stopping by!
We’ve all had to be flexible so much these past few years! I love your determination expressed here!
Thank you! It ebbs and flows for sure. I haven’t let myself cry about it yet. I probably should! Whatever the size of the losses, they are still losses. Lament is a good thing. Thanks for stopping by!
Here’s to a healthy week ahead. And praying that you can attend that retreat in a few days!
Thank you! I’m figuring this weekend will be the telling point. Thanks for your prayers and for stopping by!
It is a disappointment,
this whole darn cancer gig,
for it had been my whole intent
to go on living big,
to write the stories that would tell
of triumph ‘gainst the pain,
to know that after facing hell
I would yet remain.
I didn’t get to write the script,
though, and the road has changed.
My old dreams are truly ripped,
and heart’s been rearranged
to find a joy to outweigh doom,
and God’s light to banish gloom.
yes, Andrew. Yes. The glory you have to look forward to far outshines what’s here, but I know the idea of leaving family and friends weighs heavy. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
We all had COVID right around Christmas. Similar symptoms to a cold but a bit more intense which made us suspicious. We couldn’t find otc tests but my husband did a 3 day test. It was confirmed. Our family plans got thrown off with family out of state. But we rescheduled. It’s been a year of learning to roll with change. “I am determined to find the beauty alongside the losses. God is still good.”
So sorry, Stephanie! My word for the year is “hope,” but maybe it should be “flexibility”! My husband wouldn’t have even tested if it hadn’t been for that low-grade fever. 100.1 can’t hardly even be described as a fever! Thankful the rest of us missed it somehow.