There once was a world that had lost its way. Everyone was moving so fast that they forgot to look around. People didn’t seem to notice one other. Some were blinded by their consumerism, others distracted by pleasure. Some idolized work and worried about the next big thing. Many sought power, wealth or fame. And everywhere, it seemed, people shared one common problem: All that should matter in life, didn’t quite matter enough. People shared the fragility of their own existence. But then, a wakeup call came…via the smallest of messengers: a tiny bug or coronavirus from a land far away called SARS-CoV-2

And now it seems that we are all wide awake. And all that we’ve taken for granted—our economy, educational system, health care system, community services, freedom to travel, jobs, investments and lives—are all at risk. What a difference a year can make. As we prepared for the new year of 2020, no one had a clue what we would experience over the course of this year.

 

I was recently thinking about the things that COVID-19 made us thankful for: A healthy immune system, a readily available food supply, a good healthcare system, Amazon, Zoom, Netflix and most of all, a super scientific accomplishment that could create vaccines within a timeline that no one thought was possible.

 

The virus is waking us up to this truth. By bringing us to our knees, COVID-19 is forcing us to face the fleetingness of life itself. It’s reminding us that we need one another. It’s calling us to look beyond ourselves, to join the human race, to notice, to care and to realize that even small things can change the world (for better or for worse). The truth is that one day we will all die. COVID-19 is forcing us to ask how we will choose to live.   Though our future is still very unknown (as it always has been), know that you are not alone. You are part of a community, a country, a village— full of support. We will survive together.

Thank God we live in a time where science can see what it sees, and history can recall what it knows, and the internet can connect all that it connects and neighbors can watch out for each other. Thank God we have health care workers who can help and heal and families can love how they love and communities can serve how they serve. Remember this: You too can help where you can. These are the lessons of 2020.  Sometimes in life the best lessons we learn are the most painful to experience.