From the Publisher: No Shortage of New Perspective

Over the past month, we

have lived in a world very different from that to which we are accustomed…a quieter world…a more distant world, yet more connected than ever. Just

the other night, my entire family (mother, brothers, sisters-in-law, and all the grandchildren) chatted together on a video call. I’m not even sure “The Jetsons” had video conference calls! It was wonderful to see everyone, and the younger children thought it was great fun, as did I.

This call did make me think–our entire family normally sees each other only once or twice a year. Even then, there are those who are sometimes unable to join us for various reasons. The end of April is not a time we would normally get together, but the fact that we CAN’T makes us

painfully aware of how much we love each other and want to be together. I hope we continue to make the time and effort to be together – whether in person or virtually. In fact, I’ve thought about several things I think we may be learning from this time of quarantine.

I hope we have learned to appreciate our teachers. I hope the parents who have been required to handle homeschool duties realize

how much our teachers do, and I hope they have a renewed commitment as parents to support our educators.

I hope we appreciate the freedom we have to come together and worship. I hope we don’t take that for granted again. I hope that, when the church doors re-open, empty seats will be few.

I hope that new habits have been created–those of taking time for yourself to read, to exercise, to meditate. I hope those habits continue and are a priority when this is over.

I hope we remember to support our small business owners and neighbors. I hope you think when making a purchase to choose to shop where it will impact a local family. I hope you remember it is not Amazon who supports the Little League teams.

I hope we have more patience and more empathy. I hope we are able to focus on what is truly important.

And…I hope all the flowers I’ve planted will survive the summer.

We are in this together, and I hope we all come out of this better versions of ourselves.

Until next time,

~Karen