Our New Normal

Good Morning, Please stand for our opening exercises. All those still in the hallways please stop and stand respectfully.
Let us begin with the sign of our faith.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Well, that was the old normal...
         But what is the new normal???

Life has certainly changed a lot in the last couple of weeks, more than most of us could ever imagine. What many thought would just be an extended March Break has now become a new normal with new rules and some pretty big new challenges.

We would be crazy to say that not actually going in to school, physical distancing and the closure of all non-essentials didn't create some stress and anxiety. 
It does... let's just acknowledge that right off the bat. 
But is that it?? We just live with the unsettled, stressed out feelings??  NO!!

What we can do is work to establish a "new normal", as they say, and root ourselves again in the rituals of daily life just like we did when we were at school. Set up a routine that you follow during the week that helps to combat that aimless feeling. 

"We can feel mentally better if we are as physically well as possible," Aiysha Malik, a psychologist with the World Health Organization, told the news conference.

Malik's tips for self-care include:

• §  Eat healthy foods
• §  Stay physically active
• §  Get regular sleep and rest
• §  Create a sense of structure and routine in daily life
• §  Connect socially with friends and family, while maintaining physical distance 

These are awesome tips to help us regain some of our rootedness and help us to feel like we have some control of our lives. Each one of these activities listed is important and I would add one more.

Take time to PRAY. 

Yep, I said it. PRAY.

Talk to God... 

Give over your fears and anxieties, 

Ask for patience and peace, 

Ask for strength in these times, 

Ask for help for others and 

Give thanks for what blessings we do have.

In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

Well... we will work on it with help from above,
We can do this. 

Peace.