A Pandemic, Natural Disasters, and Civil Unrest: Oh My!

Charles Dickens' beginning of "A Tale of Two Cities" seems an especially appropriate summary of last year: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..."
I also liked this quote from Facebook about the year 2020: "2020 is like that year at Hogwarts when Dementors were floating around sucking the joy out of everything and the only protection you had was to stay in the castle, think about happier times, and eat chocolate!" There is a lot of truth to that comment.

In addition to the Pandemic, a 5.7 earthquake hit Salt Lake City in March that added to the level of anxiety and uncertainty. Then, in September, we were hit with hurricane force winds that took down hundreds of trees in our neighborhood. We were sad about the devastation and we were without power for a few days.

Something harder to cope with was the civil unrest that occurred in cities across the nation and around the world.

We noticed that many people focused on prayer and service to other to get through the uncertain times. Others used it as an excuse to lash out at others—including, surprisingly, whether to wear a mask or not, and exhibited the worst of human traits. And, unfortunately, too many in positions of leadership and power carried on with politics as usual. The election season was especially brutal and hard to watch.
Like the rest of the world, we spent the Spring months mostly in isolation because of the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world. We missed out on the births of two grandchildren in March (Katie's baby girl, Helaina, and Krista's baby boy, Lincoln.) I had been so excited to be able to have the time to help Katie out, but thanks to Covid, had no chance to do that when the baby was born.
We had two grandchildren graduate from high school this year, Dylan and Gabby! We are so proud of them, and look forward to seeing what they do with their lives. But again, because of the pandemic, they missed the last half of their senior year. Fortunately, in our first family gathering during this time, we were able to be with them during a virtual graduation ceremony.
We also missed being able to see our friends at church and at the recreation center, and being able to come and go as we wished. It was a very sobering time!
However, there have been bright spots, too.
Surviving Isolation
David and I took advantage of the down time to appreciate the quiet, the blessings that we enjoy, our home and each other. When church meetings were canceled for several months, we had our own sweet Sunday services that drew us closer to each other and helped us keep events of the day in perspective.

Happily, the week before everything closed down, future son-in-law Jon, son Jeff, and grandson Zach repaired my bedroom ceiling, and we painted and refinished the floor. I enjoy it so much!

We stayed close to home, but managed to enjoy a few get-aways to the mountains and to the desert. I was able to spend a few days at Flathead Lake Montana with my brother,Mike, sister Barbara, Aunt Karren and my cousin Natalie at Natalie's beautiful lake house.

In addition to working around the house and yard and taking a few trips, I enjoyed writing some blog posts for FamilySearch and transcribed my beloved grandfather's journal from 1912 California. The journal covers first six months of his mission and gave me a different perspective of who my grandfather was as a young man. When I knew him, he had had a distinguished career as an educator and was a force for good in his small Idaho community. Reading about his struggles as a young missionary helped me realize again that we are all works in progress. I enjoyed reading about his day-to-day life and catching a glimpse of a long-vanished time.

A number of years ago I came across something that he wrote to the graduating class of 1952 at the school where he was the superintendent. It still resonates today. He wrote: “Opportunity smacks you in the face! Never before has youth faced a future so loaded with opportunity. Perhaps more has been accomplished economically, socially, and scientifically during the past 100 years than in all preceding time. The splendor of this past period, glorious as it has been, is almost certain to be dwarfed to comparative insignificance along side the prospective progress of the next century. You will participate and share in that progress....

“Your period of life from here out may well be the envy of all preceding generations. The world is almost certainly on the verge of a tremendous burst of heretofore unbelievable progress, wonders, splendors, moral uplift, and spiritual vision. YOU WILL BE IN IT! This is no time for fatalism or pessimism, lethargy or indolence. You are facing a new world, a glorious world, one full of opportunity for yourselves and for service to others. What will be your place in it? It is largely up to you. God speed—A.J. Winters"

When the world gets to be too much, I think of the counsel the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy in 2 Timothy 

when he wrote: "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

"But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient" (2 Timothy 2:22–24, KJV).

I have found peace during personal quiet morning devotionals, walks with David and the dog, and doing small acts of service. I spend more time on social media than I care to admit, but I appreciate being connected to others around the world during this time when we have had to limit in-person contact. I try to limit my time to sites that are uplifting, including nature photography, human interest stories, worldwide prayer groups, and quotes from prophets and apostles. President Russell M. Nelson frequently posts encouragement on social media, including a call to express gratitude. One time he wrote, "Dear friends: The road ahead may be bumpy, but our destination is serene and secure. So, fasten your seatbelt, hang on through the bumps, and do what's right. Your reward will be eternal."

As difficult as 2020 was, I am grateful for the lessons learned.

Update on David: He came through these unsettling times really very well. He has had his usual bouts of depression and anxiety, but it has been manageable. During the last half of the year he experienced a great deal of pain in his shoulder, but was as patient as possible about it as we had to wait 3 months for hospitals to open for non life threatening surgery. That finally happened in March 2021. 

Bonnie, our dog, has been a real blessing and a great companion for David. She loves him so much!