Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash
THE MARRIED LIFE
During the coronavirus pandemic many people are taxed in ways they didn’t expect. I especially have compassion for young families who have extra duties thrust upon them such as working from home and social distance learning for their children.
We decided early on that our youngest daughter and her family were considered part of our household so that we could all share the load. It was a good decision. One of my duties is to watch our two grandsons on Fridays. This past Friday the youngest had his first Zoom meeting with his class. Since my grandma Zoom expertise is not up to par, I could not make the Zoom connection work no matter what I did. He looked sad and said, “I want to see my class.” Finally, I brought him home to his mom, who was working from home, and she succeeded.
My older grandson saw this and stated, “I think I better have my mom connect me with my class. It’s IMPORTANT, not like preschool.”
His aunt asked him one day, “So you don’t get to see your friends much?”
“No,” was his response.
“But you get to see your brother a lot?”
“Yes, I see my brother every second!”
Many families don’t have grandparents or other outside help at all. I know one family where the dad works from home because his wife is a doctor and has to go into work every day. He also watches their two young children, preschool age. One day he had three big phone calls to make, all of which had crying children as background music.
Some young mothers, like my older daughter, have a baby at home. Another new mother gave birth during the pandemic. They both would love to have people come visit and help out more, but they have to rely mostly on their spouses. Constant childcare with no breaks is tiring and isolating.
My son on the mainland has been working fewer hours and watching his three little ones more, especially when his hard-working wife was sick (not with the virus). I am amazed at their perseverance.
Sources of peace
“Peace is my gift to you,” Jesus promised in John 14:27.
A source of peace for me have been Masses with Pope Francis and others, and regular prayer time. It is good to know that we are not alone in our struggles, and that God is always with us, even when we fail.
My husband is another source of peace. He pitches in and helps when he sees me struggling. Listening to one another and sharing the load is crucial. Not everyone has this though.
Having a grateful heart helps. We in Hawaii are blessed to be able to go outside most days. And what a blessing it is to be able to go back to beaches and parks again. Children have enjoyed free lunches during the week, as well, via public school lunch pickups.
I am also grateful I can watch my granddaughter grow and interact with her from a distance when I visit in the backyard with her and her mom even though I can’t hold her. The day will come when I can.
It is not good to be isolated. Everyone has a limit on how much they can do alone. We all need community — family, church and friends. Even when we can’t get together physically, we can meet electronically or just through an old-fashioned phone call. And soon we should be able to receive the Eucharist again.
I always find it helpful to reach out to and anticipate the needs of others instead of only dwelling on my own concerns.
Pope Francis recently tweeted, “The peace the world gives isolates us from others. It lulls us to sleep, and is temporary and sterile. The peace the Lord gives is lasting, fruitful, contagious. It makes us go out to create community. It is filled with hope because it looks toward Heaven.”
Let’s work on building God-focused peace during this difficult time and reach out to others in the ways we can.
