Occasionally, one of my favorite book bloggers, Modern Mrs. Darcy, will post a blog with the same title. In it, she details those things which are currently saving her life. Sometimes they're big things, sometimes (most times) they're little things. I thought in light of our current moment, I'd share those things which are saving my life. This post has been percolating in my brain all day because words help me process things. And releasing the words from my brain and onto this "paper" is like a balm for my soul. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here's my list:
1. The Dispatch I am a political junkie. Political. Junkie. And David French and Jonah Goldberg are my spirit animals, true conservatives who approach the news of the day with a measured, reasonable, sometimes humorous bent. David French allows his faith to permeate his work. I always appreciated listening to him on the National Review podcast, The Editors. And Jonah Goldberg has an ability to approach the current cultural moment with thoughtfulness swept into beautiful prose. There are several other contributors to The Dispatch, and I liked it so much I paid cash monies to subscribe. Each morning I wake up to a digest of the previous day's news in my inbox: links galore and an article on a particularly newsworthy item. You can subscribe to David French's newsletter without paying the fee. I highly recommend them.
2. My new disposal. When we purchased this house, I thought it was perfection. Hardwood floors. A spacious basement. Double sinks in the master bathroom. And then we moved in and I did my first load of dishes. And naturally, when I was finished rinsing and loading the dishwasher, I searched for the switch to flip on the disposal in the sink. I flipped switch after switch after switch to no avail. And then I thought, could it be? Does this house not have a disposal?! Alas, it did not. And the lack thereof has been a thorn in my flesh for three months. But today (TODAY!) I no longer lack. A beautiful Badger (Badger??) aerator now sits below my sink ready to grind whatever food particles I shove down the drain.
3. Dr. Fauci on the coronavirus task force. Is he not the most darling little man you've ever seen?? He gives me confidence that COVID-19 will soon be contained and the world will return to normalcy...or something like it. His short stature makes me want to scoop him up and carry him around in my pocket ready to admonish those not practicing social distancing and able to whisk out his guidelines at a moment's notice. He captures perfectly the necessity of the word "dear". He's just dear.
4. Text threads with friends. All the mamas are in all the houses trying to keep the children healthy, entertained, educated and sane. All without the physical presence of other women. I have introverted tendencies, but I also quit working from home to work in an office because I need a human or two above the age of 25-ish to interact with on a daily basis. Thank God for texts and the ability to text more than one mama at once. And thank God for friends who text things that make you laugh out loud, encourage your husband in his endless pursuit of the best coronavirus meme, encourage you to keep on keeping on, and inform you on the latest COVID-19 news. I wouldn't have made it through the last few days without them.
5. Facebook Live prayer time. Never has it been more apparent to me than now that the church is meant to gather and encourage one another, and in the absence of the ability to gather physically, praise God we can gather electronically. And praise God for friends who know the value of prayer, who can encourage other women through prayer, and who do not cease to pray after the Facebook Live ends.
Of course the question now begs, what's saving your life right now? I would be remiss if I missed this opportunity to tell you that no one thing can ultimately provide salvation. Salvation is found in a person, Jesus Christ. He came to this earth, dwelt among men and women, was tempted in every way but kept perfect obedience to His heavenly Father. And part of that obedience included His death, His death on a cross. His death on that cross paid the debt I could never pay for my sin and His resurrection provided an eternal life with Him. Without the salvation of Jesus Christ and the hope provided through His death and resurrection, the darkness of this moment might overwhelm me. If you need that hope today, DM me on Facebook or Instagram or shoot me an email: hannahp2001@hotmail.com (yes, Hotmail still exists).
