700 days of Virginia COVID state of emergency
About March 8, 2020, the first case of COVID was identified in Virginia and 4 days later a state of emergency was declared.
Since then almost 6 million people worldwide, including almost 1 million Americans, have died with millions of others suffering serious health, educational, and economic impacts.
I counted and recorded the days in my planner book. I felt unable to DO anything to help the medical workers except keep myself out of their way, out of the hospital. For front line workers, all I could do was be patient, be polite, and remember that they were in harm’s way. I decided that following along, paying attention, researching, and praying would be some things I could do. Counting functioned as a marker for me as it may be for those in solitary confinement or desperate situations, helping to pick a path through a dark valley.
BUT, who knew there would be SO MANY days and SO MANY deaths to count, to note, to grieve? And several varieties of virus? Original, Delta, Omicron — are we done yet?
As we face yet another Lenten Season under the shadow of COVID, Psalm 90 struck me. Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, we humbly note the brevity of human life by wearing ashes on our foreheads. Verse 3 says, “You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
And counting 700 days! Verse 12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
May we be humble and kind, may we help each other across ridiculous politic divides when we as a human community are suffering so much. May we gain “hearts of wisdom. ”
Susan Olmstead Wang 