at our house.

Happy Saturday, friends!

Like all of you, our family is learning to adjust to a new normal with COVID-19 and quarantine. It feels surreal, a bit like time is frozen in place.

For the kids and me, quarantine looks a lot like normal life, just much quieter. I didn’t realize how busy we stay with seeing people, until most of it was taken away.

Actually, the realizing of it has been very good for me.

To be honest, David and I were nearing burn-out right before all this hit. We were hanging by a thread, trying to muster energy for a very full spring with church ministry, and had made plans to go away for a counseling intensive in another state this summer.

Then David had hernia surgery pretty suddenly in early March, and normal life just stopped. And a week later, COVID-19 began sweeping the nation and social distancing recommendations increased daily.

So life and ministry as we know it came to a screeching halt.

A friend that I meet with for spiritual direction encouraged David and me to take this time of enforced slowness to find rhythms that bring us rest and establish some habits that we can carry back into normal life, when it resumes.

This has been good for us to ponder in the last several weeks.

We’re deeply grateful for this opportunity to rest that we would never have chosen. During the week, David still goes in to work while the kids and I do school, then he returns mid or late afternoon, and we all spend as much time outside as possible, soaking up this beautiful spring weather. We take long walks as a family in the neighborhood and talk to our neighbors. David is expanding his garden, and I’ve picked up knitting again. I’m scouring food blogs, learning to cook healthy meals with what’s in our pantry and freezer, rather than run to the grocery store multiple times a week. The kids are playing outside, enjoying our pets, and Facetiming or texting their friends.

It feels a bit like vacation.

Early on I tried to keep up with the news to learn more about the disease and how the world is faring, but found quickly that it just feeds my anxiety. Also my confusion, as I’m never quite sure what information is accurate. So now I largely avoid the Internet. My friend Kelly recommended instead to use this time to surround myself with truth, goodness, and beauty. That’s not escapism; it’s choosing to grow a strong, steady heart full of love so I can serve the people around me with joy and assurance in Christ.

I’ll write a separate blog post about our neighborhood in quarantine, but it’s truly a delightful place to be. People are outside constantly, walking and working in their yards, and we have multiple chats daily with church friends who live here, as well as other neighbors we enjoy. The big project of this week for several people was building raised garden beds out of a pile of lumber that a nearby community garden no longer needed. David took the opportunity to add a couple of beds to our front yard.

I’m still baking sourdough bread weekly, and have been able to share my starter with a couple of people who want to start baking their own bread.

Judah has become the chocolate chip cookie master of our house, so I don’t even try to bake them anymore. Yesterday, Noah and I tried our hand at a new cookie recipe: double chocolate pecan cookies with sea salt. They were delicious. Next time we bake them, I’ll tweak a couple things and they’ll be even tastier.

This week we added another pet to the family. Meet Max, the guinea pig. Were we looking to get another pet? No, not exactly. But Max belonged to some good friends who couldn’t take care of him any more. And who are we to turn down a rodent in need?

Max belongs to Gabe and Noah, who are doing an excellent job of being gentle with him and giving him lots of love. I was a bit wary of entrusting them with a pet of their own, but David said, “See, I always knew they could rise to the challenge!” It’s true. They get help from their sister, and actually it was perfect for us to have Milo for several months so the boys could learn how to hold and play with him.

We did some research and have begun the slow process of introducing Max and Milo to one another so that they can be friends. Apparently this does not always work with male guinea pigs, who can be prone to fight, but we’ve decided to try it with lots of supervision. Guinea pigs are very social animals and enjoy having company when possible.

You may be wondering about the other rodent living in our house. Yes, we still have Pip the squirrel. He’s getting bigger and more active every day. He just grew his first two teeth, and has begun eating a very small amount of solid food in addition to the puppy formula he drinks from a dropper. We’re trying to get him acquainted with the outdoors, but Pip does not exactly like the outdoors. He wants to be a house squirrel, and not only that, prefers to be on our person at all times when not in his cage.

His favorite place is to curl up in sweatshirt hoods and take a nap.

I honestly never imagined our house would turn out to be a veritable small-pet shelter, but they’ve provided endless entertainment during these days at home. Yes, we still have our eight chicks too, and Judah’s betta fish, Archimedes.

David has the three big kids training for a 5K. Today, Amie sat out with a stomachache, but Noah decided he wanted to join in. Afterward he said, “That was great! I think I’ll do it every day!” I’ve always said he has more energy than the rest of us put together.

Not every moment of quarantine looks like this — we have our share of bickering for sure — but on the whole the kids are doing so well with all their canceled spring activities and lack of time with friends. We have lots of laughter around here. Being outside helps everyone’s spirits. Also books, Pokemon card trading, LEGO building, and Frozen 2 soundtrack singing at the top of lungs (much to David and Judah’s chagrin). We give thanks daily for good health and that David has his job.

Actually, we’re thanking God for a lot of things right now that it seems we took for granted before.

Happy weekend!