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Saturday and for the first time in a long time I am not attending my Bible Guys class this morning. They are at it right now. Yesterday I for the first time really understood the social distancing strategy and have embraced it with a vengeance. Maybe I am a little overboard with it at the moment, so forgive me.
I personally am so sitting in the target zone of the population. There is my age and my being compromised health wise. But I have been living on the edge for years and this is in some ways the same.
But I am really feeling it for for the doctors and nurses who will be getting the brunt of this soon. We pray that they will not get overwhelmed. We pray for their safety and sanity. They will be the saints.
So it boils down to the fact that everything be can do today and tomorrow will make it easier for them in the coming weeks. It really doesn’t look pretty but I pray that it is doable. It is really going to take all of us to pull this off.
There is a set of information in the form of charts and graphs that was posted on FaceBook yesterday that I studied it for two hours. It was long and detailed but an education. I feel so much better informed now and that is helpful and fights the stress of uncertainty. Farmer John thought that it was good too. I will try and marshal all my tech expertise and see if I can’t come up with a link or a clue where that can be found. Off I go.
“Updated on 3/13/2020. Now reflects an update on containment vs. mitigation strategies. 19 translations at the bottom. Send me more existing translations in private notes at the bottom. This article has received 24 million views in the last 72h.” This is from that article and I am showing this to you to encourage you to check it out. This is red hot!
The better we understand this attack the better we will be able to defend ourselves, our families and ultimately our world. This is not panic, these are actions based on solid information. Please look at this and study it for your own good and mine.
Sorry, I seldom get so worked up but this is real stuff happening right in front of us in Seattle. Learn from us. Thanks.
worked up loves, Felipé.
Phil, I continue to be blessed by your daily posts. Ever since the initial outbreak in WA you have been in my thoughts and prayers. I want to send bird seed. Is there a particular type that is best for your bird species!
My son-in-law is in the high risk category and now my daughter, too. I’m going to be a grandma. ❤️
You are being so wise. How’s the island with food supplies?
Bonnie ~ oh Bonnie, miss your Bonnie energy around! We are fine. No church today but my Mass partner Catherine came by and we said the rosary together at a distance. It was outside and lovely. Things are different but doable. Oh, don’t send bird seed. It will cost you more to ship than it is worth maybe. I have enough to get to the end of the month when I was planning to stop feeding them anyway. By April there is natural food around. I am praying for health care workers, you guys are the saints. Bless you, Felipé.x
I, like many of your readers, am immune compromised. Still, I have labs on Tuesday and an appointment with my oncologist which I’ll be keeping. I’m taking my normal precautions- wearing a mask, limited time in the waiting room. What encourages me and I hope it’s not a false encouragement, is knowing that the Corona has moved through China and that they are returning to some version of “normal.” Hopefully our experience in the west will follow. Even so, I come back to a couple of Scriptures- “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts) and that “God holds our very breath” (Daniel). I’d don’t feel without hope, but receive comfort as I look to our loving and merciful Lord. For me, it’s back to a more regular reading of the Psalms.
Curt ~ you will be fine with your strong foundation. I was to the hospital twice this last week and the worse part was pushing the “one” button on the machine to get the ticket at the parking lot before going in. Be brave, be creative and remember who you are! Felipé.
Hi Phil,
That article, that I have just had the chance to read as it is quite long, is brilliant.
It is clear, and while it has lots to digest, it is doable. And I think, the most important thing is that it is calling for an action that goes along with the measures we intuitively know are required, if we stop for a minute to consider what the world is suffering. And with “the world”, I mean Humanity, and with Humanity, I mean US.
This, though, shouldn’t really take us to the Fear Street intersection with Panic Street, this should takes us to Care Street, intersection with Responsibility Street. They are the two places where we can be. And we all now that we never act well when in panic and fear. But responsibility and care always lead to a good actions.
I totally believe we will be able to take that same picture in the future. And this comes from my heart, but also from my science/medical background. We just need to act responsibly.
LOVE YOU,
Cris
Cris ~ so well put dear. That set of info was good for me to get a grip on. The first time that I looked at it it me two hours to get through it. Then yesterday I went through it again to review. It gave me a feel for the dynamic of the creature. Knowledge is power as they say but more remains to accomplish for us all. Yes, totally agree with your thinking. What is the situation in Buenos Aires? Felipé.x
Our ‘lockdown’ in Astorga begins officially tomorrow morning at 8 am, but for several days there have been very few people on the streets and many retail stores closed Friday. Even some of the bars and restaurants closed before the deadline. People are taking this very seriously, as are we. We went for our final shopping trip yesterday and hope that we have two weeks of sustenance on the shelves.
The city has put in place a volunteer system where people can sign up to do the shopping for food and pharmacy items for people at higher risk, which includes us due to our age. It appears that a call to the police or city hall will get you shopping help. I don’t know how it really works yet but we may find out. The two weeks may go longer, we shall see.
But we will not be with other people in time and space. Our language lessons move to skype, we just tested that with our wonderful language teacher and we are going to try and continue doing the yoga that has been such a good activity for the last few weeks using on-line resources.
As we continue our journey we are reminded of all the others who are affected by this thing and feel blessed to have physical, emotional and spiritual support from a large community, which includes you. And then there are angels that appear unaware to us and lift our eyes in the right direction.
Ronaldo ~ yes, we must all learn how to make it doable, well, and graceful hopefully. Love you guys! Felipé.
Always enjoy your commentary and admire your strength. Semper Fi
Ken ~ thanks for the encouraging words. I see that you commented twice with the same words. Your comment takes a while to come up so don’t think that it isn’t working when you don’t see it right away. It has to go to the far side of Saturn and back for some reason. Sever Fi, Felipé.
Oh Phil,
You and your cohorts are part of my daily prayer routine! You are like “heavenly first responders”
for all of us! Thanking God that you are one of my earthly spiritual guides… even though our paths have only crossed briefly a few times in person… you have made a huge impact on my life and on so many of us pilgrims, and continue to do so! As you often point out, the Camino is the journey within.
I read the report that you suggested, and while it was so sobering, it opened up my eyes to take this seriously! The image of the airline safety instructions came to mind: “should there be the unlikely loss of cabin pressure, parents must take care of their own face masks, before they can help their children.” Not selfish…wise & practical advice!
I love Cris’ comments and observations! She has such an intuitive, caring “heart of a servant”! I hope to meet her one day, God willing… perhaps… if there is another Veranda!
This is a time of realigning our values… it is our faith, family and friends that are going to pull us through, not reliance on our government! Let love be our highest aim!
Yesterday, I was home instead of attending Mass in person; but so many lessons & beautiful opportunities appeared… definitely Spirit-driven! Since the reading was “the woman at the well” I was reminded of Mother Teresa’s writing called I Thirst. I went back and re-read her take on those 2 words.
It really calmed my soul and I am typing it into a word document to post on my Facebook account… it is time to Be Bold and Be Catholic!
A friend in my Christian Life Community small group here in our Santiago De Compostela Parish, sent a text that she was doing a live video on her Facebook account on music, breathing and sound therapy.
Her name is Maria Simeone. She works with people at both ends of life’s spectrum: those with dementia and children with autism and/or cerebral palsy. Music is the universal language of love and can heal!
She can be found at: http://www.musicmovesthebraincom/about-maria
If you have a chance… check her out!
Her Facebook video was so calming & inspirational.
If you google her website, there is a link to her Facebook account.
She ended her impromptu session with sound therapy. She has a 400 year old Tibetian bowl… she teaches that the sound tone of that particular bowl works at a sound frequency this is meant to calm our nervous system & our hearts. Combined with encouragement to breathe… it was incredible!
Finally, if anyone is being quarantined & looking for spiritual guidance books, may I suggest:
Lenten Gospel Reflections by Bishop Barron
Only $2.99 – a Word On Fire Press book
Inner Compass by Margaret Silf
Sending you a huge hug (from a safe social distance, of course!)!😉🥰❤️🙏
Maureen
Dear Maureen,
Thank you for the kind words, but I am just one more of the pilgrims around here, trying to do what I can, after having arrived to Santiago, lots of times falling very short. But you are so on spot with the words about Phil and this space… to come and read Phil’s thoughts here, is like getting our backpacks, put it on our back, and start walking… after a bit, you get breakfast, and then, you meet a pilgrim and start a chat, and leave a comment here. Maybe, another pilgrim comments, and it is like having dinner in the Camino…
These days, we will have to be more creative -or maybe not, just to be who we are-, and come here and gather for a pilgrim’s supper. Until this crisis relents, and then, it will be time again to have some time for ourselves, and ruminate our thoughts on our own… these days, instead, are days to “togetherness” around Caminoheads table!
Love going your way,
Cris
Hi Maureen, good to hear from you and thank you for your message. It is a time to encourage each other and you certainly know how to do that. And as you point out being calm is high priority. Thank you. The best to you and yours, Felipé.x