Selfie of me sporting my newest mask: one of the three-layer kind that I picked up at CVS. They have cute ones in all sizes of people are looking to update their face wear wardrobe!
So far, Year 2021 has been a wee bit better than Year 2020. We enjoyed a brief respite this spring and early summer as more and more adults got their COVID vaccines. But Nature threw us weak-minded humans a viral curve ball,. The new variant of COVID is more contagious than the first wave bug and is especially hard on children & young adult bodies.
So Brian, myself and every decent human I know are back to masking indoors in public. I DO NOT want to catch a " breakthrough " case of COVID-- which my vaccination will protect me from really getting ill-- vaccines work. But more importantly, I do not wish to be a silent, asymptomatic carrier of this new variant to children waiting for vaccine approval , nor do I want to spread it to a vaccinated yet medically-vulnerable adult.
This part of St Paul's Letter to the Christian community in ancient Phillipi comes to mind
" Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" PHIL 2:4
Now in spite of the sexist language that this translation has, I still find the general meaning of St Paul's words true to us right now. Pensacola is seeing record numbers of COVID hospital admitting , where pediatric E.R beds are full in big cities throughout The Sunshine State.
Yet our Governor wishes to keep Florida " open for business" at the cost of innocent lives.
Of course I would not wish COVID on anyone. But to be fair, I blame those adults who choose to NOT get the shots when their turn came for this spike in case numbers and deaths. I realize that it still an " experimental" vaccine, but it has already been proven that the majority of the COVID patients on ventilators and otherwise needing hospital care are unvaccinated adults.
By insisting that vaccination requirements are stepping on their " freedoms" they are to blame for the sickness in children and other adults with lung conditions for which COVID would mean certain death.
I have a dear friend, someone whom I've known for over 20 years who is sick and oxygen-dependent right now. For s long as I've known her, she has been one of the most patient, loving, Christ-like souls. We didn't always see eye-to-eye on everything, and she's as stubborn as I am but I love her unconditionally.
Because I love her and do not want to bring COVID { Or even the flu} into her home, I wore a mask and stayed a safe distance during our first in-person visit since before the COVID crisis . Due to my keeping my nose and mout fully covered, she could not see the smile on my lips. I can only hope and pray that she saw the smile reflected in my eyes. Additionally, I did not hug her, or even squeeze her hand as I bade farewell. Touch is one of my' love languages' , so not being able to reach out and touch my friend in a physical way hurt my heart. But this is not about me. My friend's health situation required that I be extra-careful { hands sanitized before I came into her house} and wore the mask for our entire visit. Love requires us to do what we can to protect those whom we cherish.
I'll repeat again for those who still refuse to listen. This is NOT about YOU and YOUR " comfort". if you are vaccinated, great: as am I and my spouse. But the vaccine will not always protect everyone from being a silent carrier--- you may never get COVID, but you can be a spreading agent. You can unwittingly pass a virus onto someone such as my friend, and kill them. Choosing not to mask can also spread the virus to young children, for whom the vaccine is not yet approved.
Yes, you have a choice. But there are good choices and poor choices. Vaccinated adults: ESPECIALLY adults who practice a faith,} should do the mitzvah of masking when indoors, in public , or around children and/or vulnerable adults who are vaccinated. Adults who still refuse to vaccinate will find that COVID does not discriminate.
Remember, people: THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU OR ME.
Grow up. Vaccinate. Then, be a good human and Mask Up!
That's all for now....
~Sarah McCarren
8-18-2021
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