More than Unbroken

I'm a Southern lady.  Born and raised in the backwoods of North Florida, I grew up on a dirt road where honeysuckles bloomed and blackberries grew wild for the picking.  Our tea is as sweet as maple syrup, and flour is a kitchen staple for biscuits and gravy making.  I still live here in the deep South and would like to paint a picture of my life here.   First, family is everything.  Here in the deep South, family includes not just your mom, dad, and siblings, but a multitude of extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, etc.).  You always take care of family.  And neighbors.  Where I'm from, neighbors include everyone who lives within a five mile radius of your home.  And if they move away, they don't lose neighbor status.  For your neighbors, you ride over whenever to just have a good visit.  You're there when they've had a birth or a death in the family.  You make dinner for them when they're sick....

Full disclosure: I love Disney movies! One of the first Disney movies I remember watching is "Cinderella." While ultimately my favorite movie became "The Little Mermaid," this particular movie made a lasting impression.  It was the perfect fairy tale love story.  The poor, unwanted girl.  The handsome prince.  The fairy godmother.  What could possibly go wrong?  At the ball, the prince pauses mid-bow to notice the new arrival of a beautiful stranger.  They dance the whole evening while singing the featured ballad, "So This is Love."   The scene goes something like this... Paints quite a picture, doesn't it? One evening of dancing and singing about the miracle and key to heaven that they have finally achieved.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a hopeless romantic in many ways.  But after being married for a few years with a teenager and a pre-teen, I've learned that fairy tales are lovely stories.  But that's all they are.   Go...

I've spent the afternoon in prayer and going back through my "Quarantine Journal."  The idea to begin writing about what was happening in the world came to me on some social media platform that encouraged having your kids record what life was like during quarantine.  Well, if you know my boys, they would not have enjoyed that activity, so I took it upon myself to record local news, personal feelings, and the like.  It's so hard to believe that we are steadily approaching the one year mark that changed us as a nation.  I am thankful for the first responders and essential workers who put themselves on the front line when so little was known about this virus.  I'm also thankful for the grace and mercy of God in all of this.   Political feelings aside, let's consider where we currently stand as a nation.  It's been less than a year since the virus became a U. S. pandemic, and vaccine distribution is happening.  Medical professionals now know more...