It’s the middle of May, and it’s been pouring rain here for at least 4 days. The old phrase- April showers bring May flowers keeps running through my head. Yes, I know it’s May. I love the rain and how it makes everything feel fresh and clean. After the last few months, we need some fresh and clean.

I, like a lot of people, got laid off in late March. This came after my kids were told that they were not returning to their regular school buildings and that spring sports were cancelled for the year. There were a lot of disappointing moments, upset kids and mourning the losses of the things we were going to miss out on. Usually our April and May calendars are so full that we sometimes had 4 places to be in the same evening. We were on a rollercoaster of emotions. Adjusting to online distance learning, to being home together all the time, to all the meals being eaten at home was quite the challenge. Accepting our new lifestyle was challenging- imagine 8 people in a house all together 24/7. Thank goodness for Netflix!

Both my husband and I are back to work in some capacity. The kids have found their routine with their school work and are starting to look forward to the summer months. The looming sense of dread has begun to diminish and our new lifestyle is starting to feel more normal. As I look back on the last 6 weeks, I’m thankful for the time together. I’m thankful for all the breakfasts, for all the one on one times with each kid, for the family dinners eaten at the table together and not at the track field or baseball field. We have baked, and laughed, and played outside together. We’ve done projects that we haven’t had time for and started ones we hadn’t planned on. We’ve read books and done puzzles that we never would have gotten to. The kids do chores without complaining because there isn’t much else to do! This jerking halt of our busy world was just what I needed to see what really does matter. Yes, going to wander through TJ Maxx is great, but nothing quite beats a big family dinner with the people that you love.

What type of changes have you seen through this shut down? What types of changes will you keep going when your life gets back to normal?