By Deanna Kirk – Special to the Navarro County Gazette
Here we are on the verge of Thanksgiving, and once again uncertainty is the buzzword of the week.
Uncertainty about the holidays – should we celebrate Thanksgiving? Should we not? What about Christmas? Is there any point to shopping?
There is uncertainty about the children (and college students) returning to school after Thanksgiving break. Will they? Or will it be after January before there’s any normalcy in that arena again?
Businesses of all kinds are experiencing uncertainty. I know I’ve heard of several that are struggling, are extremely slow, or have not picked up to the pace expected for the pre-holiday season.
The surge in COVID cases (whether sudden or gradual, I don’t know) is concerning. Just about the time it starts to look like things are becoming closer to normal, the numbers rise again… across the country, apparently.
I have not watched the news in over a month. I refuse to watch it, in an effort to protect myself from a sudden surge in blood pressure that could cause ill effects. So it was a surprise to me to learn about this uptick in the COVID cases.
I guess once you’ve had it yourself (along with your offspring you’re around at work daily), you just don’t spend as much time thinking about it. Sure, we continue to take precautions, washing hands, sanitizing, wearing masks around our customers and in public places, etc.
Did any of us back in March expect we’d still be dealing with this at Thanksgiving and Christmas? When it was all new and uncharted territory (isn’t it still?), we closed our business for a month thinking surely things would be “back to normal” by then.
But that hasn’t happened.
I suspect there’s been higher than usual cases of anxiety, depression and other malaise related to living in a constant state of “not knowing.” If you have had to make hard decisions about your business, or your living situation, or God forbid buried a loved one – then you know the worst of the fear, the worry, the stress that comes with living like this.
One thing is for certain – the holidays will look different for pretty much everyone this year. Since you can’t make a float for the Christmas parade, why not funnel the funds you would have used to The Salvation Army? My guess is there are more Angel Tree children than ever this year.
Help out Meals on Wheels. Donate cash to The Salvation Army if you don’t have time to select toys (or have a clue what to buy little ones). Check on your neighbors and friends who may not be able to get out and are starving for some human contact.
I know this Thanksgiving I will be more grateful than ever for my family and my health. I still don’t know what Christmas will be like, but I am thankful for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that He reigns sovereign, regardless.