The wedding …

The wedding was barely two weeks ago and it was absolutely lovely! Despite a full night of rain, the sun came out in time for wedding photos and the ceremony at sunset. The newly-married couple is settling into married life and we’re delighted to have a new son-in-law.

But life has a way of getting complicated just when you think it will be simpler, at least in our family! And along came …

The coronavirus

Just three days after the wedding, a family member tested positive for COVID-19 and the tests started rolling in amongst our family. Out of 12 of us in the immediate family, boyfriends included, we accumulated 9 positive test results and three presumed positive due to symptoms (though two actually tested negative, but we think it’s a timing issue).

We’d already had a couple of tests prior to the wedding, just to be sure. Although tests were negative, symptoms continued. While some family members had milder symptoms than others, everyone experienced some combination of headache, fever, nausea, loss of taste/smell, fatigue and a cough.

Now, at 17 days post wedding we are down to just four family members still in isolation and the symptoms are finally dwindling down. One person experienced enough difficulty breathing to go to the Emergency Room and received a nebulizer; a second higher-risk adult went along and both were enrolled in a respiratory therapy and monitoring program. Everyone else recovered comfortably at home.

What I’ve learned

Here are a few things I’ve learned as we’ve been navigating the virus the past couple of weeks.

1. Early test results are sometimes misleading.

At the first sign of symptoms, my husband and I immediately did a rapid test because we didn’t want to take chances with the wedding coming up. We both tested negative. In hindsight we know that the viral load wasn’t yet strong enough for testing to detect.

2. Negative test results can give a false sense of security.

While doctors did advise us that we could have false negatives, they were optimistic given that both of us tested negative. Our natural optimism and the negative results had us convinced that we simply had a slight cold.

3. Being “in a bubble” also gives a false sense of security.

It still pays to be careful, even around family members and close friends. The problem is you may not even know that anyone has been compromised.

4. You may never know the exact source of infection.

In our case, we believe one person was exposed at work. And yet, there are other possible sources, including a hair salon, multiple work-related potentials for exposure, and a cleaning service.

5. Gatherings do have an impact.

While the virus might have spread just as much without the wedding and Thanksgiving holiday, some family members might have avoided it without these events.

6. Mandates and precautions do make a difference.

We are grateful that no other wedding attendees contracted symptoms. We believe it helped that the wedding was small, outside, socially distanced and no food was served at the event (although to-go containers were carefully prepared and sent home with guests). Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines for current updates.

7. The coronavirus is insidious; watch each other carefully.

The Oxford dictionary defines insidious as “proceeding in a gradual and subtle way, with harmful effects.” I can’t think of a better description for COVID-19, particularly the pneumonia-like symptoms that are such a danger. Our family checked in with each other daily to monitor symptoms and ensure that everyone was okay. The one family member who experienced difficulty breathing had been doing fine, but had he not received a nebulizer the tide could have quickly turned.

We are beyond grateful that no one had to be hospitalized and that everyone is recovering well. We know this has not been the case for everyone. And, we continue to hear from friends and family who know people in the medical field that there is very little way to tell who will need ventilators or intervention — or who may not make it.

My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones. And I pray that we’ll soon have an effective vaccine to slow down this global pandemic!

So it’s a wedding, the coronavirus — and a puppy?

Well yes, because who doesn’t love puppies?! And this little one has definitely brightened our lives these past two weeks.

Our youngest daughter has had a Corgi at the top of every birthday and Christmas list since I can remember (at least 8 years). And now that she and Brandon have their own place, they decided it was time to “adopt.”

Poppy is a wonderful addition to the family and she’s brightened many moments during our Covid recovery! She joins her big sister, Bella, a Newfoundland, and the extended family’s pets including 4 black labradors, 1 yellow labrador, and two Russian Blue cats, plus our niece’s guinea pigs and fish.

In the end, life is full of moments: weddings, coronavirus, even puppies. May you avoid the coronavirus if you possibly can. And if you should be unable to avoid it, may you recover safely. And, may you always feel God’s presence with you!

The post A wedding, the Coronavirus, and a puppy appeared first on Elaine Junge, Writer & Blogger.

I take a walk every morning with my husband, my best buddy. We start our day grounded, feet moving, air on our faces, with a view of the mountains. He’s more awake than I am most days. Waking up is, for me, a gradual process.

I noticed the empty buddy bench

On our walk this morning, I saw the buddy bench at our neighborhood school, sitting empty at the beginning of a new school year. I stopped, my heart caught in my throat. I paused because this bench is designed for the lonely, the left-out, the hurting child — and while it sits empty, somewhere a child needs a buddy.

In this strange pandemic back-to-school season, I’m reminded that we need buddies even more. And we need to look out for each other, be the buddy to others that may struggle in this season.

We need buddies in the day-to-day

My husband and I have walked this path near the elementary school for several years now, but more intentionally the past two years. We walk through the seasons together, through spring, summer, fall and winter.

Some days we have easy conversations, about the weather, the day’s work. We connect about our schedules, our hopes and dreams, our life.

On our daily walks, we discuss our kids, our parents, how we are feeling, and what we want out of the day. We talk about routine things, like what we need at the store or who’s “on dishes.”

Other days, the conversation can be difficult, tinged by bad feelings, unresolved tensions, sadness, or tough problems. Still, we walk. Still, we talk. And when the words come slow, or fast and angry, we listen.

We especially need buddies in transitions

Over more than 30 years of marriage, we’ve learned that we need to talk more in times of change or stress. We process better as a team, when we each have a voice, work through changing and sometimes challenging emotions, and listen to each other’s hearts.

This buddy walk is good for our souls. Through the walking and talking, we come back to what’s important, to each other.

We all need buddies to reach out

I’ve heard a familiar ring on social media and in many of my circles. Some days we’re doing okay and some days we need a friend to check in on us. All of us experience days where we struggle with this unfamiliar world.

But some of us struggle more than others. And if we had a virtual bench, you might see some of these people hanging out, hoping to connect:

• Health care workers: “We do this work because we care deeply, but we’re tired and worried.”
• Law enforcement officers: “We see firsthand the impact on families and the cultural unrest.”
• Musicians: “We hurt from not singing together, in person.”
• Elderly in assisted living or nursing homes: “We miss visitors and going out on field trips.”
• Teachers: “We want to make a difference in the lives of children but this learning situation is new and different, and we’re worried about the kids..”
• And students: “We miss our friends and getting away from this family we’re now with All. The. Time.”

Be the buddy you need(ed).

The local school buddy bench may be closed for a season, but you can still reach out to someone you think might need a friend. And just as importantly, you can raise your hand when you’re feeling lonely or left out, disappointed, hurt, even scared.

How can you create a virtual buddy bench? Get creative! One of the online organizations I belong to hosted an open meeting room in Zoom, a virtual bench of sorts called the Sofa Room.

Neighbors meet socially distanced in driveways or garages. Families and young people have tailgate parties to connect in a safe way. And, video and phone calls are ways to connect as well.

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.

Woodrow T. Wilson, U.S. President (1913-1921, notably he served during the 1918 Flu Pandemic)

Take a moment to make someone smile today. I’m heading out now to catch up with a friend I haven’t seen in weeks, socially distanced, of course!

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