Plot twist.
Spring 2020 looks absolutely nothing like we thought it would, does it?
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is beyond the scope of this post, but one byproduct has been the cancellation of just about every item on our jam-packed family calendar. Routine activities like school, work, church, board meetings, my kids' track meets, volleyball games, and orthodontist appointments have all been either drastically altered in format or indefinitely postponed.
Special events have taken a hit, too. Our oldest child is a high school senior and he holds out little hope for spring milestones like prom and graduation. This past Sunday, our younger son was scheduled to be baptized at our church. We had invited grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to witness this important event in his life and then come back to our house for lunch and celebration. My husband and I would have taken lots of video and pictures of this special occasion in our son's life with our extended family. For obvious reasons, that didn't happen.
Instead, we took some very different photographs and video on Sunday. My husband captured this surreal aerial video of what I pray is soon-to-be historic, never-to-be-seen-again footage of the deserted streets of Philadelphia.
It's striking, isn't it? The City of Brotherly Love, representing the birth of a nation of freedom and liberty, has come to almost a complete standstill. And honestly, that's a little bit scary.
In contrast, at the same time my husband was capturing these scenes, I opted for a walk through the blooming peach orchard beside our house. Spring didn't get the memo, folks. These signs of beauty and hope are mercifully unfolding just as they do every single April. But this year, they seem more gorgeous than ever.
We are living through a historic moment. It can be frightening and, at very minimum, is involving lots of disappointment. But let's keep our eyes on that which inspires hope in our souls. That's how we'll make it through this.
