Part 1-2 World-Wide Pandemic of 2020--Re-posted from 5-4-20
January
2020: Little did we know at the time that our lives would soon
never be quite the same. It seems so long ago, and yet it has actually been 4 months! I feel some days that I live in slow motion!
I remember
thinking the end of December, 2019, how much I was looking forward to the novel
year of 2020. Writing the new date on checks and other documents was fun. We
are huge BYU fans, and we had a winning and exciting BYU Volleyball team who
were #1 in the country with star athletes. The BYU basketball team was winning
big games. They even beat Gonzaga who was #2 in the country. We watched 20,000
fans in the Marriott Center stormed the floor after the game. It was insanely wild
and crazy. On the political side, President Donald Trump was facing impeachment
proceedings by the Democrat-held House of Representatives in their unorthodox
method of not allowing him to present any defense. We felt anxious! I was substituting teaching in elementary
schools all over in Jordan School District almost every day of the week. We
were involved in our Church assignments, our friends, and our family. We attended
Hale Theater’s wonderful productions of “Bright Star” and “Strictly Ballroom.”
Health-wise, we were holding steady.
We heard
rumors in January of a spreading virus originating in Wuhan, China, but
dismissed it. Authorities at the time surmised it would be a local issue there.
Dec. 19, 2019, the Democrat House forged ahead by passing the stark impeachment
measures and actually holding it; then Feb. 5th the Republican Senate voted “nay”
and dismissed all those charges. Suddenly the end of January, President Trump halted all air travel from China to be followed by stopping all air travel from Italy,
then Europe, to keep this very infectious and rapidly spreading virus from
infiltrating the United States. It seems that many Wuhan Chinese travelers had
brought the virus to Italy and there were suddenly hundreds of people infected
there and dying, plus everywhere else infected travelers went. All of a sudden,
they closed the schools on March 13, 2020! It caught us all by surprise! A few
days later Pres. Trump declared that we were in a world-wide pandemic! The Wuhan
Virus became the Corona Virus and then renamed COVID-19. We were advised to
stay in place and not leave our homes except for essentials. At the beginning
of March, scientists predicted that this virus would spread quickly, with older
people (us) being especially vulnerable and would kill millions of people. They
warned that people needed to stay inside to flatten the curve as this deadly virus
surged! Utah’s first COVID-19 death was March 6th; and today, April
29, has 45 deaths. Of 4,343 confirmed cases in UT, that’s a rate of .01. Today in
the United States there are 61,668 people who have died from this virus out of
1,064,533 infected or a rate of .057. This number changes by the hour.
3,191,827 have died in the world count out of 227,535,184 COVID-19 cases.
Utah
Governor, Gary Herbert, issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” directive in Utah on March
13th. Some states “locked down.” The economy and businesses were
closed, and people were urged to work from home if they could. Schools all over
the country, including colleges, were cancelled. Restaurants-closed. Entertainment
venues-closed. The Church announced that we would not hold Church services in
our chapels and within days all the temples were closed! Then, the Jazz had 2
players test positive for COVID-19. Before we could blink twice, ALL sports
activities throughout the whole country were cancelled. BYU’s basketball team
was headed for the NCAA playoffs—not to happen. March Madness—gone! School kids
did their lessons online at home. I struggled as what to do about further
employment. I had future reserved jobs from mid-March into April at the time.
As subs, we were offered the opportunity to keep those jobs, go to the school,
and do other “work” for schools assigned and get full pay. Or, we could cancel.
The “work” they offered us was to go into classrooms and completely disinfect
all surfaces—desks, counter tops, etc., with spray disinfectants and cleaning
cloths. I ventured out on March 17th to my new assignment wearing my
plastic gloves! Manual labor compared to intellectual instruction was not cool
for me, but I was willing to do it--for us! We didn’t leave our home very much!
If I shopped for food, I did so with a mask on my face and plastic gloves on my
hands! I didn't want Jim to go anywhere!
The very next
morning on March 18th at 7:09 in my kitchen, I heard a loud BOOM! I thought
someone had dropped something heavy upstairs. I quickly learned that we had had
an earthquake centered about 35 miles NW of us in Magna, UT, with a 5.7 magnitude.
WHAT??! We had a shutdown due to a pandemic, and next thing we have is an earthquake?!
Many reviewed “the last days” scenario in their minds when Moroni lost his
trumpet on top of the SL Temple!! We received no damage, however, some people throughout
the valley felt tremors for days. We wondered, “What’s next?!” Carol Ann
Shepherd, 4-29-20 (to be cont’d next
week).
Part 2--Living Through
the World-Wide Pandemic—2020
One day, I was thinking how different things were now
compared to when we finished our personal and family history just a few short
months ago in November of 2019. In an instant, I thought of the Family History
Center being now closed (I couldn’t have scanned anything). I thought of how
improbable it would be now to gather as a family at our wonderful retreat to
distribute our histories to each family member. I remembered often thinking why
I had that spiritual urgency I felt for 18 months before to finish that history
by the end of 2019: the push, the drive, and the relief—we did it! Then, at
that moment, a feeling consumed my being, “This
pandemic was the WHY!” Again, I say, “Listen to and follow the Spirit!”
We have taught Emergency Preparedness and actually
lived a preparedness lifestyle for years! As this began, we watched the news as
people flooded stores for toilet paper, sanitizers, face masks, and food. There
were long lines formed into Costco. People were cautioned to stay 6 ft. away
from each other and to wear masks to avoid contamination. Plastic was erected
around cashiers. The rise in deaths was shocking and paralyzing! We could only
have groups of 10 people. I have never considered myself a “movie goer” and now
began watching YouTube and Prime Time movies into the evening. We watched
reliable news channels for daily reports! All the sports we could see on tv
were reruns. Ugh! As I said, Churches and Temples were closed. We held Church
from home and had some ward Zoom Relief Society and Priesthood lessons. The
temple will be closed for Jacob and Megan’s May wedding, so they’ll have a
civil service first! The Church began sending 30,000
missionaries back home because of the world-wide pandemic! Grandson, Andrew
Greenlaw, returned from the Kentucky Louisville Mission. “Faith to go; the
courage to come home!” Church News 5-20. Megan Farnworth and Aubrey Shepherd, remained on
their missions. We reveled in uplifting messages of optimism at General
Conference. Our dear Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, told us this too would pass
and great days were ahead. Conference was only televised and not live in the
Conference Center. It was the 200th anniversary of the First Vision
and Restoration. Zac Farnsworth’s family had some challenges as Makail suffered
from seizures and baby, Beck, was rushed to the hospital with an allergic
reaction. Life seemed to stretch all of us, “Why all this?”
Did you know that
history has repeated itself about every 100 years from pandemics in the world?
1720 had the Plague—1820
had Cholera—1920 had Spanish Flu—2020 we have the COVID-19.
Here's a reprinted poem from a U.S.
newspaper in 1920 during the Spanish Flu pandemic:
Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1920
And
people stayed at home
And
read books
And
listened
And
they rested
And
did exercises
And
did art and played
And
learned new ways of being.
And
stopped and listened
More
deeply
Some
meditated; some prayed
Some
met their shadow
People
began to think differently
And
people healed.
And
in the absence of people
who lived in ignorant ways,
Dangerous,
meaningless, and
heartless ways,
The
earth began to heal.
And
when the danger ended, and
People
found themselves,
They
grieved for their dead.
And
made new choices
And
dreamed of new visions,
And
created new ways of living,
And
completely healed the earth,
Just
as they were healed.
Author unknown
The following are my stark reminders of the first 4 months:
100
years later of this world-wide COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020!
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 in the U.S.
January-Rumors of deadly virus in
Wuhan, China--spreading rapidly.
Air travel stopped from China 1-31
National emergency declared 3-13.
U.S. economy was shut down!
Most businesses shut their doors,
and people stayed inside at home.
Few were actually well-prepared.
Many lost their jobs and income.
Some worked from home on Internet
Schools and colleges were closed.
All sports events were cancelled.
Some stores
had many shortages.
Many got
government stimulus checks.
Some got
unemployment benefits.
Some had
savings; some went broke!
Some watched
lots more television.
Churches and
Temples were closed.
Some fasted
and prayed for relief.
Many turned
to God—more spiritual.
30,000
missionaries were sent home!
Faithful
watched Conference on TV.
Many found
joy in serving others.
Utah
suffered a 5.7 earthquake 3-18.
Bias of the
media became unhinged.
Many were
more politically divided.
$Trillions$ in bailouts passed Congress
Trump gave
daily TV--COVID briefings.
Many blamed
China for the virus.
Some worked
long hospital shifts.
Many wore
masks and disinfected.
Most never
got sick with the virus.
Some got
COVID-19 and recovered!
Thousands
suffered greatly and died!
Older people
were more susceptible.
Some were
bitter; some were better!
And, God,
eventually, will heal this
land, but will people remember?
by Carol Ann Shepherd 4-30-2020
So, I ask, “Will you remember the lessons from
COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020? Have you learned anything about yourself that you
didn’t realize before? Are you a survivor? Have you learned to be better prepared BEFORE an emergency?" (What
we’ve experienced is like a fire drill in school.) Church News 5-20, Quentin L.
Cook: “We will look back on this as a time of preparation, not just something
we had to endure.” Please read these excellent ideas for having a plan: https://latterdaysaintmag.com/covid-19-an-opportunity-to-re-think-food-storage/
Have you grown closer to God? “Recent
events can be a spiritual alarm clock focusing us on those things that matter
most.” Ibid, Cook. Have you been more humbled and in tune with Spiritual
promptings? Will we be more connected as a family, especially with older ones
who have been more vulnerable? Will you continue to wash your hands often and
think twice about touching your face so much? Will we stop shaking hands when
we meet others? Have you written any impressions down for your own personal
history someday?
My husband, Jim, has had Diabetes 2 for 29 long years
since 1991. At 83 years old, he is considered to be at very high risk for
contracting this dreaded virus. We have kept him sequestered here in our home
away from any contamination. After Spring Break, the third of April, I
cancelled further school jobs for our safety sake.
Now the end of April, as restrictions are being lifted
a little bit in May, I reflect on many things as well as our blessings as we
look forward to our renewal and recovery! I love my husband; I love our little
home; I love having Natalie here (She works from home in her job); I love my
family and interacting with them as well as their checking on us when they find
time away from their busy lives! I know that God lives and has a
plan for us. He knows all things! I’m grateful for a living Prophet who has
guided us in these perilous times. I’ve been at peace even in this uncertain
time. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is my absolute anchor in
life. Also, know that I love each of you with all my heart! Carol
Ann Shepherd, 5-4-2020; Re-posted: 8-10-2020
What is your story?
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