This is Holy Week. It celebrates the fact that more than 2000 years ago one Man took on the weight of the world and was tortured and crucified and through this act of self-sacrifice took upon himself the sins of all mankind. Today our world is officially shut down. We cannot celebrate Holy Week. We cannot honor what He did. In our family as in thousands of families around the world there will be no Easter celebrations. As we practice our social distancing and our home isolation it will be a difficult time for those of us who celebrate Holy Week and Easter. . And so for the next seven days as we wait for the pandemic called Covid-19 to reach its peak and then flatten out we will need courage. We are uncomfortable; we are fearful; we miss our families; our lives have been turned upside down. We will not be able to celebrate in our respective houses of worship. Millions have lost their jobs and don\u2019t know if they can support their families. We don\u2019t know what the future holds. So where do we find the courage to shelter in place longer than we had anticipated? How do we hold up until this nightmare ends?<\/p>\n
There is great power in words..And so I offer up some words of courage that I can recommend that have helped me in my lifetime and may help you in the coming week and the days thereafter.<\/p>\n
Day One<\/u><\/p>\n
Just for today I will be joyful and unafraid; just for today I will be calm and cheerful in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n
Day Two<\/u><\/p>\n
Nothing lasts forever; it\u2019s all just passing through<\/p>\n
Day Three<\/u><\/p>\n
The only antidote for fear is courage.<\/p>\n
Day Four<\/u><\/p>\n
All the problems are in my head. So are the solutions.<\/p>\n
Day Five<\/u><\/p>\n
Losing my freedom of choice is a bitter pill to swallow but I can accept the fact that for the present it is tolerable. One day things will be back to normal.<\/p>\n
Day Six<\/u><\/p>\n
Optimism wins more wars than pessimism.<\/p>\n
Day Seven<\/u><\/p>\n
There is no problem too difficult to handle with all the help available.<\/p>\n
And\u2026\u2026some words I penned a while back when I needed courage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Courage has a purpose, in our lives, I’m told.<\/em><\/p>\n It bonds us with adversity, puts anxiety on hold.<\/em><\/p>\n All the choices made, all the rules we bend,<\/em><\/p>\n Sure must have a meaning. Is it fear whose fires we tend?<\/em><\/p>\n Every day that passes, brings another test<\/em><\/p>\n That we must confront to see which choice is best.<\/em><\/p>\n For surely none of us, wants the other one to know<\/em><\/p>\n That somewhere lurks a coward deep inside our soul.<\/em><\/p>\n So all of us pretend that such brave hearts are we,<\/em><\/p>\n Never realizing what we fake will someday be.<\/em><\/p>\n With combined courage we will make it through. Stay safe everyone. Life will<\/strong> return to normal. We can do this!<\/p>\n