It’s so crazy to me that we are just about at the one year mark of COVID- when everything we’d ever known flipped upside down and life changed. I’d just had a baby a few months before and I still remember the heaviness of stress and hopelessness this pandemic added to my already slightly overwhelmed season of postpartum. So many things in the world were becoming uncertain and as schools closed and states shutdown, protecting my children and our family from the lurking monster was all I could focus on. To say the least, my health slipped to the back burner, my anxiety skyrocketed and my mental health was draining quickly. I focused what energy I did have on schooling the boys, taking care of our baby and creating the best possible “bubble” I could for our family. What I didn’t do, was pour back into myself to recharge and refuel.

If your experience has been anything like mine, you know it’s taken several months to even feel the slightest bit normal again. I have days where I’m busy doing the things I love and life feels good, and then the next day, the moment I wake up I’m reminded of our current reality. However, if this season serves a purpose for teaching me anything, it’s taught me these truths:

1. Live intentionally- Live each day to its fullest and don’t waste time on what’s not important. Each day is a gift and that gift can be taken away at any moment.
2. Invest in your family and love them hard- I often tell my boys to get along because a sibling is a lifelong friend. I think they finally realized this while being in a pandemic, because for a while, they were each other’s only in-person friend. I do believe we all have grown closer together during this past year and learned that each one of us brings a special uniqueness to our family. One activity we discovered that we really enjoy doing as a family is hiking. We love exploring new areas, waterfalls, etc., and we’ve really had a blast doing it. In fact, our boys have already asked if we can make a new list of trails to hike this summer and set a goal for how many miles we want to hike during the season. ** A great, free app we’ve enjoyed using is called AllTrails to help us find trails nearby.
3. Your home should always be a “safe zone”, especially for your children. It’s hard being little and having feelings bigger than you can wrap your head around. It was hard enough for me as an adult to understand just what was happening and we tried our best to keep the craziness of the world out of our home as much as possible. We want to keep our house cheerful, cozy and a place to thrive. It wasn’t always easy, but we unplugged, played games, got fresh air and spent a lot of time in outside. No matter how big or small your house is, you set the tone for how your kids feel within those four walls and I pray ours always feel safe and loved.
4. Take care of yourself- seriously! This part I failed at miserably in the beginning because I just didn’t know how to cope. I was stressed, exhausted and scared. Working out has always been a an outlet to relieve stress and that’s the one thing I stopped doing. Months went by and I just didn’t have the energy or make it a priority. Then one day, I did. Once I got back in the rhythm of it, it’s actually one of my favorite parts of the day. I feel better, I’m happier, I’m more relaxed and some of that baby weight is finally disappearing. ** I highly recommend investing in a smart watch, Fitbit, pedometer, anything along those lines to help give you extra accountability.
5. Be prepared for emergency situations- I never fully understood what this meant until the pandemic, but it’s important! I’m not saying go out and hoard all of the toilet paper and cleaning supplies, but if your budget allows, buy a few extra necessities each grocery trip. Stock up on batteries, water, non perishable food, pet food, baby items, even hand warmers incase the electricity goes out. Make sure you and your family can survive at least a few days without having to rely on leaving the house.

This past year has been so hard on many of us, and though it’s getting better, life still doesn’t feel “normal”. Maybe it never will. What I do know is that seasons come and go, storms bring the rain that’s needed for growth and there’s always a rainbow after a hard rain. Our family has grown closer and stronger, we’ve relied on God to get us through and I’ve learned to appreciate the simple things in life a whole lot more than I did before. Going through the hard stuff is just plain hard and never fun, but sometimes it’s necessary so that we can take the truths we learn and use them to grow and flourish into a better version of who we are meant to be.

Until next time,

Erica