by John Flora
The coronavirus has upended life for so many. Yet, for my wife and I, it’s impossible not to view this additional time with our newly expanded family as anything less than a blessing.
In February of 2018, we welcomed our daughter Kennedy Elizabeth to this world with open arms. Sixteen months later, our son Lincoln Barrett arrived. As our respective maternity and paternity leaves drew to an end in late March 2020, we scrambled to find childcare. However, as you all know, that’s also when a stay-at-home-order was issued by our Governor, granting us the extra time we prayed for. Thankfully, we have been able to bond with our children during their formative years.
Since I am a teacher, and my wife is a school nurse, we were both fearful that we would miss the key milestones that every parent lives for. Now we will be able to witness our son’s first steps and hear him speak his first words; now we get to say the days of the week and months of the year with our daughter. It’s incredible how God delivered us this extra time with our children, all in His perfect time.
Working remotely from home with young children also comes with daily challenges. For example, how do you safely let them expel their playful energy during a pandemic? How do you balance working from home, house chores, homeschooling a toddler, and being attentive to a newborn? How do you give students at your job quality assignments, meaningful feedback, and a proper farewell through a computer screen? Somehow, we are adjusting like everyone else. While we don’t have all the answers, we have found solace in prayer and strength in supporting each other.
Until restrictions are fully lifted, we look forward to the day when we will be reunited with our extended family, friends, and fellow parishioners. Most importantly, we hope to look back on this pandemic and remember the extra time we were given by God to work on our faith and bond as a growing family.
Our family is immensely grateful to be a part of this parish and community. We pray that your families are safe, healthy, and finding spiritual fulfillment.
(Note: John Flora is the President of our Parish Pastoral Council)