by Julie Nguyen
Dear fellow parishioners, My name is Julie Nguyen, my husband is Thu, and our four children are Allison, Justin, Evan, and Lauren.
Going into the second month of quarantine, we are still trying to adapt to a new “normal.” There is always a lingering concern at home, especially since my husband is an essential worker and my oldest daughter, Allison, and I are both frontline workers. As a hospital pharmacist, I prepare critical medications to sustain life and provide comfort and supportive care to our patients since there is no cure for Covid-19.
Not only has my work life changed drastically, but we also had to make many changes at home to ease our daily struggles. With our four children switching over to online classes, we had to adjust to one another’s schedules and give each other space to study. My younger two are still learning to absorb the material on their own to keep up with their school work.
Between our kids attempting to find a quiet spot to study or a place to practice their musical instruments, it can be a bit challenging and stressful at times. While it can be difficult, we have found ways to unwind as a family and add some sort of a routine to our lives. We have learned to satisfy our cravings for sushi and bubble tea by learning to make it at home. We’ve set aside time to watch some Netflix with one another after eating dinner together. Most importantly, we gather as a family to pray and watch the live stream Sunday Mass. We are looking forward to the day when we can go out and do all these things as a family.
At the end of the day, I feel so blessed and thankful that we are all in good health and have the basic necessities to live through this pandemic. Whenever I feel like I am losing hope, God always finds a way to remind me to stay positive. All we can do is trust in His plan and have faith that we will get through this together! We will continue to pray to God to protect everyone in our community and to carry us through this crisis.