COVID-19: Staying Hopeful During These Challenging Times
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
These are tough and heartbreaking times for everyone with the escalation of the Coronarivus globally. I’m sure many of you feel as I do and are struggling and feel overwhelmed emotionally.
Fortunately people from all around the globe have shared messages, videos, poems and photos of hope and inspiration that have helped lift my spirits amid the tragic Coronavirus outbreak.
Matthew McConaughey shared a personal video message of hope. I encourage you to click below, watch the video and be inspired to embrace our common values of fairness, kindness, accountability, resilience, respect and courage to help overcome this common enemy.
The words below are a combination of sentiments I’d like to share with you from author Cameron Belim, a poem by Laura Kelly Fanucci and messages from friends that have given me comfort.
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May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing gains in the stock market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country let us choose love and kindness towards our neighbors.
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When this is over, may we never again take for granted:
A handshake with a stranger
Full shelves at the store
Conversations with neighbors
A crowded theater
Friday night out
The taste of Communion
A Routine Checkup
The school rush each morning
Coffee with a friend
The stadium roaring
Each deep breath
A boring Tuesday
Life itself
“When this ends, may we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be, we were called to be, we hoped to be, and may we stay that way — better for each other because of what we’ve gone through.” – Laura Kelly Fanucci