by Lambert Pitao
“Prayers, faith, trust, and hope in the Lord are our weapons against our unseen enemies”.
Since the pandemic started, our lives have changed drastically just like yours. I had two jobs in the hotel industry in NYC. My wife, Annie, is an accountant/bookkeeper in heavy equipment moving company in Lyndhurst, NJ. We are essential workers and commute to work.
During the lockdown in New York, the hotel industry was impacted severely. I lost both my jobs. At that time, I felt relieved but at the same time worried that we might not be able to pay the tuition for our two sons in college. After two weeks, I was asked to go back to work when one of my coworkers got infected. My wife begged me not to return because at that time, New York had thousands of COVID cases. She was terrified that both of us could be infected. I accepted the job and went back to work. I assured my wife our great God was mightier than the virus.
Honestly, I was more worried about losing my job and being unable to provide for my family than being infected. I have a strong faith in God. Praying the Rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy each day has carried us through. We are grateful that God has always been on our side and continues to keep our family safe.
Our three sons had to adjust to doing schoolwork virtually. It was incredibly challenging at the start, but they eventually adjusted. Their love and gift of music have kept them busy. Our son, Nathan, was able to arrange and compose songs. Daniel learned to play guitar, and Sam is taking piano lessons virtually. We miss serving at the Sunday 7 pm Mass, where my wife and sons serve in the choir and I am a communion minister. We have found other ways of serving like being faithful to our love offering and generously praying for the end of this pandemic.
This challenging time has made us so dependent upon God’s love.