A Student's Perspective!

A Student's Perspective!

As we continue to live with the ever-present safety requirements of the coronavirus Covid-19, we have to, in some ways figure out how to do it. 
And if it is difficult for adults... Then it most definitely has it's impact on young people.  One of our grade 9 students, Madison Beltran, shares with us how she has been impacted by physical distancing, isolation and learning from home. 
This is her reflection...

    A Teen In Isolation

Being a teenager is a stressful enough time but then add in that you are in your first year of high school and now dealing with a pandemic; the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Spanish flu in 1918.   I have always attempted a balance between academics, extracurriculars, social life, faith life, family, and sports. However, when this pandemic hit, life changed dramatically and quickly. Stress is something I deal with everyday now and I find it hard to find hope and joy when those things that used to help, like hockey, band, drums, piano, badminton, and dance were all but removed from my life. That’s the hardest thing for me; giving up everything I loved.  From hockey to dance it felt like everything that made life happier and shine a bit brighter were taken away from me. Things that made an impact and gave me hope in life would also be changed. Things like church. One day everything was cancelled and for once in my life the world became a darker place. 

With this being said, the scariest thing about this whole pandemic is not knowing the future. Not knowing if tomorrow would be any better than today. Not knowing if my family or friends would be affected by the virus. Not knowing if they would find a cure. Not knowing if my dad, a frontline health care worker, would be ok or have enough supplies at work to keep him safe.  The unknown is always scary and thinking about the “what ifs” make the world a scarier place for me. 

(Madi and her sister MacKenzie)

However, I never doubted Christ. Even though the things I loved have been taken away from me, there was one thing that would never leave. Faith. The way I find support is through my family and through my faith in God.  This gives me a sense of hope and reassurance through everything. Faith is a spiritual force which guides us in all of our ways and leads us through prayer. With prayer I was able to connect with my loved ones and I was able to gather strength in the words of Christ.  Everynight, we Facetime my grandparents so we can say the rosary together and everyday, I try to spend time in group chats with my friends to help retain a little part of the world we all once knew. This helps us stay connected and helps us to remember that there is still hope for the world. It reminds us that we should never take things for granted as well. Before when we visited them we never really appreciated the fact that we could speak in person. Now that we have to visit them virtually every night instead of giving them a hug and telling them about our day in person, I realize how precious life is. 

With the churches being closed at first I thought that people were giving up. That faith was no longer something people should be concerned about.  Maybe even that they gave up on God. But now I have witnessed all of the live streams as well as Pope Francis, Bishop Fabbro and the parish priests reaching out to us.  Now I know more than ever that this isn't a time where they have discouraged faith but rather are bringing faith to the world. I also realize that we don’t need an excuse to go to church or mass to pray to God on a regular basis. So why would we have to now? All we need at this time is to take a moment and sit down in a quiet place as we pray for a moment and give thanks to God.  This pandemic has highlighted for me the virtues of gratitude and compassion.   

When all of this is over, I'm really looking forward to taking a moment and thanking people such as healthcare workers, priests, grocery store employees, mail carriers, truck drivers and everyone who has made a difference during this pandemic. I’m also looking forward to going back to school and being with my friends.  Overall, when all of this is done I'm looking forward to enjoying life with the people who mean the most to me. We can’t take anything for granted.  

So I leave you with this tweet from Pope Francis to remind us of what we should do during this time:  

“In these holy days let us stand before the Crucified one and let us ask for the grace to live in order to serve. May we reach out to those most in need. May we not be concerned about what we lack, but what good we can do for others.”

Thanks for sharing what it's been like for you and your family Madison!! You are Awesome!
Stay Strong. Stay Safe.