2021

We are in the midst of the COVID-19 virus.

In 2019, I was working at the King Supers in Brighton, Colorado. Life had changed so drastically in a matter of months. I was an essential worker, so I was handed a piece of paper and a mask that allowed me to move through the city to go to work.

I went to work every day. Never in a million years did I ever expected to be in a situation where my freedom and my health would be in jeopardy. I didn't quite understand what was happening around me.

The scene was straight out of a horror movie. In a matter of days, streets were emptied. No one was riding the bus (that was my mode of transportation at that time), new programs were being implemented at the store. Directional stickers were being laid on the floor, staff memos were being delivered to email with instructions on how to maneuver through the new way of life, the vaccine was being pushed out with a $100 incentive to get it.

I do not recall ever seeing the world around me flip like an acrobat in a circus. People calling out others for not following protocol. I mean, they were literally asking others to follow the directions on the floor of the grocery store. If you weren't wearing a mask, life got ugly for you. People yelling at each other over being out while sick, 6ft was the allotted aura space.

In all that craziness, I did all that I could to remain myself and steer clear of any brainwashing and fearmongering. It wasn't easy. I was threatened daily by customers and employers. Co-workers urging me to take the vaccine, friends begging me to do the right thing (for them or for me??) The ridicule was sometimes a heavy weight to carry, but I did it every day with a smile on my face and stayed in good spirits.

I was trusting my God to protect me. We weren't going to give in to any pressure.

I recall heading to Las Vegas for a trip we had planned in October of that year. My husband's parents told us not to come visit. So we dropped off donuts (this was tradition for our visits with them), and we went about doing our vacation. Much of the strip was vacant and quiet. Outside, people were who they wanted to be. When entering the casino, a mask was required.

We had fun, and we didn't allow what was happening around us to keep us from enjoying ourselves.

Once we spent a couple of days there, it was time to visit my parents. We were together for a few days in California. My Father had been up North with Cal Fire that winter, He rushed home to visit with us. I was so happy to see him. It was his birthday weekend, and it would be the last birthday that I would spend with him.

At this point, we weren't going to live in fear. Likewise, we knew we weren't going to see each other again for a few more months (We usually went when I was on school breaks). My parents were a bit concerned with the way the vaccine was being pushed, and they asked many times if we thought it was safe. We had already made our decision not to vaccinate. We shared that with them and respected their wishes, whatever way they wanted to go. Dad had an underlying health condition, and we expressed concern that it may not be the best thing for him, as it may accelerate his condition.

We visited one last time with my parents I hugged my father tightly and kissed him goodbye, and with that we headed back to Colorado.

I talked to my parents several times before Christmas. Dad was still fighting fires up in the forest. He was around several other contractors helping to do the same. I didn't know it at the time, but my father was up there without protection. He also was not wearing any PPE. Many of the guys had been getting sick. He came home for some much-needed rest, but was already sick. Unbeknownst to me, mom and dad were both sick at Christmastime. I reached out to find out how they were doing, and mom shared that both of them were fighting the flu.

I guessed I brushed it off, mom and dad were tough. They would get better soon. I prayed for their healing and left it at that.

On January 8th 2021, mom called and shared that dad had been admitted to the hospital. He couldn't breathe. It was a rollercoaster ride for several weeks. So much hope and then in an instant it was over. February 2, 2021 Dad passed. It was the most devastating moment of my life.

I could say a lot here, but I am going to keep this to myself for another blog.

For now, that moment in time shattered me into a hundred pieces. I went silent for months, years. I had plans to get back to the vlog, but it wasn't to be. Not only that, I couldn't muster the strength to do it again. Life as I knew it had changed.

The healing process is still taking place, and it's been a hard road back. I am changed. Forever different. Not the same.

Always in God's hands.

Mauds