I know it’s hard to believe life is going on when you’ve been in quarantine for so long, but I can assure you that it is. And I needed to know that. It’s very easy to believe life will never start up again and I think that has been devastating on our youth. They’ve missed out on so much: Graduations, Weddings, Socialization, etc. I mean, quarantining to me is not that much different from typical life. I’m a writer. I work alone (well, online for a few hours a day with friends to combat quarantine, but I have no actual co-workers.) I walk my dog and I keep up with my adult children. That’s my day.

Young adults and kids are not this lucky. They don’t have school. They don’t have nights out with friends. They don’t have dorm life for the most part and I fear we’re not taking that seriously. There is a cost to our youth and it concerns me immensely. I’m sorry to say that I know of a few suicides in this age group. Mere children who had their whole lives ahead of them but they can’t see past this terrible lockdown.

While most churches are meeting online, that’s not good enough for our kids and I fear the toll on mental health is going to be just as devastating as this disease that I refuse to name. Please, as a Christian, I am begging you to check in on people. Ensure they know that Jesus is Lord and that He has this in His hands. Take them for a drive. Show them that life is still going on even amongst these dark circumstances.

Recently, I drove with my daughter from Colorado to California so her cousin could continue her cosmetology education (cut to bare bones thanks to this disease) and we ended up shopping for her wedding dress since everyone she wanted there was in California. I spent a month there with my family and it was so good for my soul. My parents live about 90 minutes from Lake Tahoe so we took drives. We got outside and we remembered His glory in nature.

Don’t forget to live. My parents turned on the news while I was there and it’s non-stop fear mongering. Let me remind you, we’re all going to die. None of us is immune and yes, we should do what we can to stay healthy and keep others healthy, but don’t forget to live. Go for a drive. Check in on loved ones. Most importantly, pray. This disease can’t stop God. Elle took her mask off for this photo and it makes me so happy to see a bit of normal.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and

everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:11-12