Positively Positive

What comes to your mind when you think about the word positive? I think about being certain of something, like I am absolutely 100% positive that I do not like snakes, especially when they are in the chicken coop! Or, I think about being an upbeat person, offering a “glass is half full” outlook rather than doom and gloom. After all, there is so much to be thankful for and life is too short to complain and be negative.

I also think of pregnancy tests with either a plus or a minus sign in the tiny test window indicating that life is about to dramatically change. For me there was joy found in those plus signs over the years. Being CJ, Emily and Tyler’s mom is most certainly, positively, the best job I have ever had or will have. Being a Mimi now to Ruby and Liza is pretty great, but motherhood is just something special, a bond that I cannot adequately put into words. Of that I am positive, certain and 100% sure!

Now, fast forward to July 2020. Oh how this crazy, wonderful world has changed. Last Wednesday, Carl and I found out the results of a different kind of test. We both tested positive for Covid-19. We thought we were fine, taking care of ourselves, following the governor’s mask order, hand sanitizing and social distancing. Yet, here we are, Covid positive. Now, we are North Carolina statistics, data points reported by Governor Cooper in Raleigh. The virus that was so distant, effecting others, has become a reality for us at The Farm.

Thankfully, we are on the mend. Our symptoms were manageable and not serious. We had fever, aches, chills, a cough and loss of taste and smell. Since the day of our test we have been in quarantine, with just four more days of farm isolation to go before we are able to be out and about again. I am also 100% positive that I pray daily that our loved ones do not get sick. What I do know is that it is 100% unnerving, unsettling and maddening that somehow China released this virus that is causing such pain, suffering and loss all around the world.

In spite of life’s uncertainties, like Covid, school reopening, or an endless list of other unknowns, there is one thing that grounds me, that I am positively positive of in my life, and that is my faith in Jesus Christ. God’s promises are new every morning and for that I am so grateful.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

So, as we continue to recuperate here at The Farm, I wish you all good health, safety and days doing things that bring you joy. My garden is a mess after a week of Covid-induced neglect. So, I am going to enjoy some fresh air, garden time, ride my bike, pick wild flowers and find another good book or two to read. If you are looking for a great read, On the Eighteenth of May by Jordan R. Samuel is wonderful!

Take care friends and remember to #BeLight out there. Our world needs more positive, light-filled people who make a difference and lift others up, not tear people down. Of that, I am positively positive!