My daughter had a half day at school today. It was opened long enough for the kids to grab their books and get instructions on what to expect as they prep to go to school online.

That’s a big change for our students, parents and educators!

Naturally, many of us are wondering what in the world we will do if everything shuts down. Each parent will basically be home schooling their children and many of these parents still work. The ones who won’t be able to work, have an added pressure of how they will continue to pay the bills and provide food for their family.

Obviously, news on this virus, isn’t news we can ignore. It has and will impact our world and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. We all need to do our part but how can we get through this season with less stress and more peace?

Less stress, more peace

In 2003 my husband was in Iraq, the war was being televised and I would often find myself glued to the screen wondering if I would see my husband.

After a while, I realized the amount of stress and fear it was causing, wasn’t worth it! Even if I did see my husband, how would I feel knowing there was nothing I could do to help him or change the situation?

I had two small children (a new born and a 4 year old) and my focus needed to be on them.

During that time I realized that the news, although helpful at times, can also cause unneeded stress and fear that can have a negative impact on your life.

We each get one life, and I decided that if God tells us not to live in fear, then I needed to focus more on him and my controllable’s.

Our Controllable’s

This morning, while driving my daughter to school, we listened to the radio as they talked about the impact and spread the virus has already had.

My daughter naturally had a few questions and I could tell she was a little nervous, scared even. What would happen if we got it? Why is everything closing? How long will this last? I know many of us have these questions and more, which is my heart behind this post.

Because of the impact the news had on my life, I made the decision long ago, that I would not live afraid to live.

That doesn’t mean being naïve or wreck less. For me, this means being educated about what’s going on around me, while still living my life to the fullest. I trust that when it’s my time, it’s my time and I’m ok with that but whether we like it or not we are all effected by what’s happening right now.

We can’t control the fact that this virus is here or that the Goverment is making some pretty big decisions that are impacting our normal day to day lives.

So what are our controllable’s?

1. As far as staying healthy…there are the obvious…washing your hands (for at least 20 seconds). Avoid touching your face. Keep your home and vehicle clean. It’s the perfect time for spring cleaning! Lysol it all!

2. Have a plan. We are having a family meeting tonight! We have a 21, 18, 17 and 12 year old, three in which will be doing their schooling online. I am already thinking about the massive amounts of screen time, questions about interactions with their friends and arguments and stress that can be caused with all the time at home. I for one don’t want to be reactionary each day because I know that will cause extra frustration which can make the experience a bad one for us all. My plan is to make a schedule, set certain rules and even allow the kids to come up with fun things we can do as a family. I want them to ask all the questions and give them answers now if possible. Will this make each day perfect? Absolutely not! But it will help greatly. Kids need structure and so do we. This will keep us busy and more productive too, which will help the time pass.

3. Have a positive and hopeful outlook! You may not agree with all of the decisions being made right now but you can choose how you respond. I for one choose to be grateful that we are all coming together to do our best at stopping the spread of this virus. Lord willing, this won’t last forever so take one day at a time and make it the best possible. Our nation has lived through worse and we will survive but let’s decide to thrive!

My thoughts and prayers are with all of us. I know this will have a different impact on us all and I don’t sit from where I am and dare judge another persons situation. My hope in this post, is to break the negative, nerve wrecking chatter and bring some encouragement and a few ideas to help us stay positive, focused and healthy.

I would love to hear from you. What is your biggest concern right now and how do you plan to deal with it?

With Love & His Spark,

Lisa