Greetings from the Edgar Quarantine Camp – we are a small outfit, but mighty…

So, really, how are you holding up? Me, I’m well, not sick with the coronavirus, which is huge, so I’m not really going to complain, only to say that I feel a little…crazy.

I’ve noticed on social media that some of you are counting down the days of quarantine and I just want to say that I’m so proud of you. Most of the time I don’t even know what day of the week it is, let alone how many days we’ve been quarantined. Time flies when you’re having fun? Except, no, there’s very little fun happening at the moment. (Insert long sigh here.)

Today is Sunday, that much I know for sure, mainly because:

1. Robert is home, and
2. We watched church online – so thankful for that, by the way! Way to go, encounteronline.com!

So, how are you guys passing the enormous amount of time we have? Me, oh, I’m doing the usual: reading multiple books, cooking lots of yummy food, plenty of time for Bible study and, of course, binge-watching TV.

My latest binge has been Star Trek. Now, let me stop right here and say that I’m all for a certain level of Sci-Fi. Honestly, I am. Like, Star Wars, I love and can totally get behind that one: exciting, clear good guys and bad guys, solid plot. Love it.

However, in the past few weeks I was introduced to a new series on TV called Picard, which, of course you know, is one of the beloved Starship Enterprise captains. On Star Trek, of which I knew little about.

So, I knew my son-in-law was watching this one with our grandson, so I reached out to him and asked if he could, you know, in 50 words or less, explain to me what the heck was happening in the first episode of Picard.

To which my precious son-in-law replied, with a list of 9 episodes of various Star Trek series and 2 Star Trek movies to watch to give me a “good idea” as to what was going on prior to the start of Picard.

So, I watched all of the recommended viewing material over the past 2 weeks, and have drawn the following 2 conclusions:

1. I still understand very little of what is going on on Star Trek – sometimes not even sure who the good guys are…
2. I don’t think I’m smart enough to be a Star Trek fan. And, I’m OK with that.

Now, I am going to watch Picard, at least the first few episodes before passing my final judgment, mainly because I think a lot of Sir Patrick Stewart, AKA Picard, who is, at present, reading 1 sonnet every day on Instagram, as a way to encourage and uplift us during this quarantine. How can you not love that?

So, I’ll keep you posted on Picard. Say a little prayer for me, will you?

One of the things that I’ve been able to really structure my days around is working out. The honest truth, although there are MANY days where I’m unwilling to admit this, working out makes me feel better – physically, emotionally and spiritually. With fibromyalgia, it’s tricky, because activity is good, but it’s easy to push too hard and make your muscles feel worse. I know this from experience.

Right now, my normal routine consists of walking/jogging 2+ miles 2 times/week, which I’m going to increase to 3 this next week. I do some weights and/or Jazzercise (On Demand) in between.

At the moment, I like my walks for 2 main reasons:

1. I’ve always wanted to be a runner…see earlier blog post
2. Walking around the block a couple of times gives me the CHANCE to see and at least wave or say “Hi!” to neighbors that I may or may not even know. Yes, the extrovert is reduced to talking to people she doesn’t know. I might or might not be a little dead inside…

Anyway, this past week I was on one of my walks and I came to this home where there were Easter decorations in the yard. They were so cute, complete with some ginormous dinosaur-type eggs, sort of “hidden” around the yard, you know, just ready for some toddler to find them.

The first thought that came to my mind was,

“Wow, isn’t that optimistic! Some Easter we’re gonna have this year.”

And, immediately, I felt the Holy Spirit say,

“Oh, we’re having Easter this year; there will always be an Easter.”

And, you know, that’s so true.

Now, in the words of my favorite PI, Thomas Magnum, “I know what you’re thinking.”

How the heck are we supposed to have Easter?

We can’t be with our extended family and friends; do we hide the eggs for the hunt, then pretend like we forgot where they are?

We can’t go to church. We can’t buy a new dress, shirt, tie or ANYTHING that we can try on first…IF, Amazon Prime could even get it here in time.

We can’t go to any special concerts, parties, community Easter egg hunts or even dye eggs with our family. How, again, are we having Easter??

Look, I know there are a LOT of things that we can’t do for Easter this year, I get it. But here’s the thing: for the Believer, every day of our life can be a remembrance of Easter! How, you ask?

Well, basically Easter is the whole crux of the Christian faith. We, as followers of Christ, believe that Jesus was crucified to serve as a substitute for us, taking all of our sin on him. He died, then 3 days later, He rose and is alive today! Hallelujah!

If that’s true, (and, I believe with all my heart that it is and pattern my entire life after Christ), then nothing, and I mean NOTHING can take Easter away from us!

Nothing. Not fear, not a pandemic, not a quarantine, not separation from family and/or friends, not the lack of toilet paper, (sorry, I couldn’t help myself,) absolutely nothing you can name can cancel Easter in my heart or take the remembrance of Christ’s resurrection away from me. It’s that simple.

Now, will this Easter be different? Uh, yes. Is there a good chance that I will watch our Easter service in yoga pants and no make-up, uh-huh, most probably. But, guess what? That changes nothing! Christ still rose over two thousand years ago, overcoming death, sin and the grave and we, as Believers, can still celebrate it!

So, you know what I did this week? I put some Easter decor out, too! And, I would encourage you to do the same. This week, join me in trying to be a little less interested in the latest coronavirus news (although I know we need to stay informed) and think more about the great sacrifice Christ willingly made for us, all the He went through because of His great love for you and for me.

So, that’s what’s on my mind today and I thought I’d share. In a time when it’s easy to feel uncertain, unnerved and a little uneasy, being certain of who I am in Christ and where I stand in Him makes me feel a lot more secure.

Remember, greater is He who lives in you, than ANYTHING this world can throw at us!

Leave me a comment, show me your Easter decor! Know I’m thinking of and praying for all of you!