Go Lightly....

She is clothed with strength and dignity.  She can laugh at the days to come. - Proverbs 31:25

As I write these words, beautiful images of togetherness occupy my mind.  I picture my beautiful family and friends gathering around my outside patio table with no room between our chairs.  I am telling each one of you what an AMAZING job you have done navigating through the unexpected journey over the last four weeks.  While drinking coffee, we hug like there is no tomorrow and we laugh.  We laugh, and laugh, and laugh as if we have no real care in the world.  Yet, life seems so much heavier than that right now.

In my heart, I have grown to appreciate the lighter moments of conversation.  An everyday topic seems to always include these 2 words:  "toilet paper."  My Papaw recently gave a few rolls of toilet paper to a friend in desperate need.  He handed it off with 2 special rules.  Only use 2 squares at a time.  Always have soap and water nearby.  Silly Papaw grew up on a farm with more brothers and sisters than you could possibly count.  Sometimes, the Rothfus kids would be working out on the farm and suddenly need to go potty.  In that case, one would head to the barn.  There, you wiped with corn cobs.  Right after corn had been picked and taken off the cob, the sides of the cob were very soft. The corn cobs remained super soft for the first use only.  The very best scenario seemed to be timing your potty break around a visit to the outhouse.  Papaw recently told me using pages from the Sears Roebuck catalog as toilet paper worked great for a big family.  You just always hoped you weren't the one having to wipe with the glossy sheets in the middle of the colorful catalog.  Finally, my sweet Nanny shared with me that John Wayne toilet paper is really the best. "It's rough.  It's tough and don't take no crap off of no body."  These conversations lighten my spirits.

Over the past 4 weeks, I've started a Covid-19 quotes section in my phone.  As I spend more time than ever with the people under my roof, I don't want to forget the hilarious comments/words uttered by these precious souls I love so dearly.  This shared time continues to be a chaotic, crazy and startling time, too.  Late last week, a parade of honking cars made it's way down our street.  The sounds startled me because they didn't sound like the trash truck.  That's the main noise we hear coming down the street these days.  Happy kids and smiling families filled those honking cars.  As they passed by, all of the passengers sang "Happy Birthday" to our 8 year old neighbor across the street.  Without hesitation, my daughter and I paraded out to the front yard and joined in the fun.  Clothed in jammies and displaying messy hair, we sang at the top of our lungs, too.  Everybody giggled.  The very next night my family of 4 jumped in the truck, rolled the windows down and sang a whole playlist of songs before returning home.  I felt like I was in high school again,

Like so many of you, I am struggling with the unknown.  When will the curve start to flatten where I live?  When will it be considered safe for businesses to open their doors again?  When will the white signs on restaurant doors disappear and be replaced with chairs positioned right where they belong?  When will you see smiling, happy customers through glass windows as you drive by?  Right now, we all have so many more questions than answers.  This...this is what I have come to know.  You and I are stronger than we can possibly imagine.  God has clothed us with strength and dignity.  I do believe we can "go lightly" through this storm.  Woven into the tapestry of this heaviness are glimpses of light, joy and peace.  Savor moments to laugh.  Capture the words of others that give you reason to pause and remember...God is still on the throne.  He will carry us through.