The Re-Opening of America Begins

This past Friday was May 1st, 2020. It will be remembered as the day our country began to reopen. State-by-state there are differences in definition of the reopening, but light has begun to crack through the grip COVID-19 has held over our planet. The threat is not extinguished, but for the first time in weeks and months, victory seems on the horizon.

Since the blessed day of our reopening fell on a Friday, Kim and I celebrated by going to dinner at Chili’s. The familiar, ice-cold, Blue Moon beer washed down our chips and salsa while I waited for my traditional buffalo-chicken salad. William stopped by our table to see if we needed anything. He told us how glad he was to come back to work even though they had hoped for a bigger turnout. Although it was still early, only two tables held customers.

I know that some people will rejoice that we were able to get out of the house while others will shake their fingers and call us irresponsible. That judgment seems to be a sign of our times.

Shouldn’t she be wearing a mask? Are they six feet apart? How much toilet paper does one person need? I hear Amazon is hiring, why don’t they get a job there?

The bar for decision-makers is set even higher. The president, governors, and mayors face an impossible balance of protecting our health and ensuring our economic survival, knowing that any path forward will include casualties on both sides. Business owners face the same dilemma – keep my essential business open and my team working, or close and protect their health while their paychecks disappear? Sleep escapes them as the weight of their responsibilities looms large.

Facebook, YouTube, the news, and personal conversations are full of people suddenly best-educated to shine a pathway forward as they sit back, protected from the consequences of their decisions, pointing out the specific failures of each stimulus provision, virus exposure, or plan for our future.

Grace seems to have taken a back seat.

I don’t know the right answer, but I do know people that are suffering on both sides. Two of my best friends are in their mid-60s and have diminished lung function. They pray for protection from a danger that is small enough to slip through any defense but is big enough to steal their lives. Other of my friends work in health care; they are the unsung heroes of our crisis. Their hours and income have been reduced but they are ineligible for much-coveted $1,200 payments because of the money they made in better times. They are working too much to qualify for unemployment, but not enough to pay their bills.

Our country cannot build its future on the stories of hardship. Hope is founded in our trust in a good God who cares for us. As we delicately care for the tiny flame of freedom that is spreading across our land, let’s provide the fuel it needs to grow into a mighty blaze that will shine His light as never before.

My dad reluctantly sheltered in place, still recovering from my mom’s passing into greatness. Even as he ached for connection, he faithfully closed himself behind closed doors. In His compassion, God found a way to bring someone special into his life. Pops has spent hundreds of hours exploring a new relationship and planning for better days ahead. After suffering enormous loss, he opened his heart for a new future. That’s the America I believe in.

Erin and Josh got married six months ago. The life they started to build together was shaken in ways that haven’t been seen in a hundred years. Prosperity evaporated like water in a drought. Instead of taking the world by storm, they have hidden in their small apartment. As their tax refunds and stimulus payments arrived though, they didn’t use it to console themselves with indulgences that temporarily numb the pain. Instead, they paid off their previous debts, breaking the chains of bondage as they focus on the promise that tomorrow holds. This season will end, and they are looking to tomorrow.

Kim and I have seen disaster threaten our friends, family, and community. I have told stories of picking the long lines at the grocery store because I like to check in on familiar faces during checkout. One of the brightest faces died unexpectedly while we locked down. The week she passed, I had chosen the longer line at her register to share a smile. Her obituary provided details that I had already learned from her. I miss her but I am so happy that I took every chance to share life with her while we had the time.

I treasure each handshake, friendly embrace, and smile more than ever before. Life is special and time is a gift. I am reminded that we should make every moment count and seize the days that we have. I see visions of Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society, leaning forward to speak to a crowd of emerging men, counseling them to “suck out all the marrow of life”. More than ever, I want to live like that.

Our country and our world have better days ahead. May we provide future generations with stories of rising above our situation and shining brightly in days of darkness. The flame of freedom has not been extinguished and this is our chance to guard it carefully.

We are not virus carriers. We are hope carriers.

Let’s go!