Dear Friends,

I hope you are all well and as safe as possible in this time of anxiety and rampant illlness.  I do not need to tell you about the pandemic we are all experiencing in some way; I am sure you have been bombarded by news reports and seen evidence of the long lines in grocery stores and the numerous closed or limited-operating status of businesses in your area.

Here in Ohio the governor has ordered all unessential businesses to close temporarily.  This includes hair salons, movie theatres, and shopping malls.  Fortunately, my husband’s job is one he can do from home, and my daughter’s job is in security, so she is still working.  My son is in construction so he may soon face a layoff until things settle down. 

As for myself, my day job is in a large warehouse type store that includes both a grocery store and pharmacy, so we are still open for normal hours, though there have been numerous changes made to policy to protect both workers and customers. 

I get to see and experience so many people using various degrees of caution as they brave leaving their homes for necessities.  It is both frightening and heartening to see the response to the new rules.  Most are actually grateful for our precautions.   

I know the constant worry over the threat of the pandemic hangs over all of us like the constant gray skies we seem to be experiencing in this first week of spring, but I urge you to not lose hope.  There are responsible officials and medical personnel making good decisions and searching for treatments. Hopefully, in a few weeks or by summer we will be seeing fewer new cases of the virus and perhaps things will begin returning to normal.

The best thing we can do right now is take advantage of the enforced time together with our families.  Re-discover (if you haven’t already) the joys of cooking a meal together.  Play board games and watch old favorite and new shows on the endless availability of streaming services.  Catch up on sleep, and take care of your health by eating healthy, finding time to exercise, and reading books.  In my area, the library offers a huge selection of e-books available for digital checkout, no trip to the library required.

Above all, I hope you follow the safety recommendations to protect yourselves and your families during this time of crisis.  You will all be in my prayers.

Amy