Living Through This – 1

Dear Friends,
In last week’s Inbox, I began a Lenten series.
I have decided to push that off until much later and instead, offer some thoughts on living through this coronavirus crisis.
At this time, some of us are still at our workplace and performing essential community services.
Most of us are confined to home.
Some of us are working at home and others are out of work, maybe out of a paycheck.
Some of us are tending children at home, maybe even doing some homeschooling.
Some of us are home alone.
Whatever our present situation, I want to make some recommendations:

Pray. Use prayers that you know by heart, go online for a variety of sources of prayer, watch Sunday or even daily Mass being livestreamed. Drawing upon God for strength is important always and especially right now.
Establish a daily schedule. This is important so that we don’t just passively go through the day with no sense of purpose. A schedule will help us to stay engaged in life and use well the time God gives us.
Stay connected. Be caring, patient, and forgiving with those in our household. Reach out by phone, email, text or other social media to family, friends, neighbors, business associates, or fellow parishioners.
Exercise. Stay physically active at least by cleaning or doing laundry. Take a walk outside (observing physical distancing) or run or jog or whatever form of exercise can work for you in the present situation.
Limit news. Stay up on the news to know what is happening what you should be doing. But limit this to an hour a day and don’t let it become all-consuming and life-draining.