Archive by Author

Helping Hands During Covid 19

6 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Daily I am amazed and thankful for the acts of kindness and compassion being carried out to feed the people in our state. Florida thrives on the tourism industry and has been tragically hard hit with furloughed jobs. Unemployment compensation has not even begun for many.

So much of the media news is negative and fear producing. I decided to share the positive and good that is happening around me. This is a very small snapshot.

The Grove church started their Covid-19 food ministry giving out 400 BBQ chicken meals, they increased the number each week and then local restaurants began donating the food. A few years ago the church was meeting at the YMCA and looking for an existing building to renovate for a permanent home. They chose an old, almost derelict vacant grocery store. It took two years for them to restore and convert it. God’s hand was in this plan! Because the building was previously a free standing grocery store it has an enormous parking lot, making them a perfect staging area for giving out food.

Our State Representative used one month of his legislative salary to fund a food distribution in his district. He partnered with FarmShare and he ran out of food in two hours. He has since partnered with FarmShare for a larger distribution and another is planned for May 7, 2020.

About FarmShare: With your help Farm Share can bring a semi-truck containing 42,000 pounds of fresh food to identified communities in need and distribute it to over 1,000 hungry families.

If you would like to know more about FarmShare click HERE

A call went out to the community that our homeless were in need and Representative Randy Fine responded as did others in the community.

First Baptist in Orlando is hoping to collect enough food to provide a week of meals to 500 families.

Our local YMCA is helping out too!

My favorite organization in our community is Hummingbird Pantry. I learned of it from people who come to our church food pantry. It is run by volunteers and gives out thousands of tons of food. We have been a couple of times since Covid began. You don’t choose your food. They load one of whatever (Or more if you have a large household) is available into you car. The first week I went to learn about it and curious to see if our church food pantry could receive some of the fresh veggie items. After a two hour wait, we received among other things, a case of fresh corn. We were able to share it with five other families. We’ve gone a couple of other times to get food to distribute to others, especially this who can’t get there.

This week they uploaded a video to You Tube showing the huge amount of cars in line and explaining their mission. The need is so great their resources are stretched thin and they are hoping for donations. Somehow they almost always have flowers. Feeding the spirit as well as the body.

I would love to read about your community or your volunteer work during this virus. If you have blogged about it, leave the link in comments! Together, we are winning.

All pictures are screen shots from Facebook.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Life During Covid-19 Part 10

1 May

Bring Back the Sunday Drive

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Our daughter began working from home last Monday. Due to furloughs of most of her coworkers, she was assigned the evening shift all week but day shift on Saturdays. My husband and I teased her that now she would know what  “Safe at Home” really felt like.  

Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay

All went smoothly until Saturday. Once her shift was over she was restless and I thought she was exhibiting signs of safe at home-itis. Finally she said, I’m going for a drive, do you want to come with me? Of course I said yes.  As she drove she began to relax. Her normal work routine involves an hour commute. Turns out the commute was her post work decompression time.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Sunday morning we watched a couple of church services before deciding what to do with the rest of the day. I suggested a Sunday drive. The day was beautiful and I thought getting safely out of the house would be good for all of us. We filled water bottles and grabbed our cameras and headed out to drive the Merritt Island Wildlife Drive.

The drive is an unpaved one-lane road. Unless it is prime birding season it isn’t heavily traveled.  Sunday, it was heavily traveled. It was good to see families out enjoying nature. I’m glad that even though the bathrooms were closed due to the shutdown, the drive was open.

There was another drive we had wanted to explore for quite a while but we didn’t want to drive it in our car.  Fortunately, in early March we made a quick trip to North Carolina and exchanged our car for my husband’s truck. (That’s a whole other story) The unpaved road aptly named Gator Creek Road winds through the marshes between the Indian River and the beach.

  It is two-way traffic but in places, it is barely wide enough and one vehicle has to pull to the side. We expected it to be deserted. We were wrong.  There were a lot of families fishing, sunbathing and enjoying the water.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.  The couple had their fishing poles cast out and had everything they needed… a cooler, tackle boxes and each other.

On our way to the wild life drive, we drove past a riverside boat ramp and park. Both were packed with cars. I snapped a picture of the park on the way home. It was still packed. People were not 6 feet apart but while their car were jammed they weren’t jammed together outside of their family. A lot were on jet skis or cooling off in the water. I was happy to see families enjoying spending time outdoors together. 

Monday and Tuesday were safe at home ho-hum.  The bright spot for me on Monday was I made my first beef brisket.  I cooked it for 6 hours at 250 degrees. It turned out really well. Next time I hope we can cook one in our new smoker. That is if we can get meat by the time we return to North Carolina.  I also made bacon jam. I couldn’t imagine how it would taste but it turned out delicious and went well with the brisket.

Tuesday wasn’t a good day for my husband. I had placed a pick up order at Sam’s Club and he drove me down there, then spent the remainder of the day resting. The warehouse club is in a nearby city that has a higher number of virus cases than our town and I didn’t want to spend time in the store.

Our grocery day seems to have switched to Wednesday while we are safe at home. My daughter and I went to Target first to pick up some grocery and non-grocery items.  I feel comfortable shopping there as it is not crowded and social distancing is adhered to. The previous week I wanted to buy two packages of parchment cupcake liners but there was only one on the shelf.  ( Target is the only store in our town that carries them) I was hoping to get another one. I can order online but it is double the price. Have you shopped in the baking aisle of the grocery stores? Target’s shelves were almost empty of cake and cookies mixes. Apparently there is also a shortage of yeast. Americans are baking as never before. Boredom baking or baking with the family? I am curious, is it this way in your town or country? 

By the way, have you noticed all the families riding bikes? I have heard that bicycle stores are doing a booming business. When we were in Target the bike section only had two for sale. I hope this trend continues.

Our next stop was Aldi. It is a smaller store so I wear a mask and carry hand sanitizer. They have done an excellent job of keeping food on the shelves. Eggs were scarce for a couple of weeks but seem to be fine now. I was even able to buy potting soil they had as a special deal. Their meat choices were limited so I placed a pick up order with Wal-Mart.  Fingers crossed that when I pick it up tomorrow, the meat will be there. Wal-Mart is always busy and I haven’t been brave enough to go inside once the virus began spreading.

Wednesday our Florida governor shared his plan for business to resume.  It is going to be a slow roll beginning May 4th. To my despair, hair salons are not included. I am now looking for an underground hair stylist.

I’m not sure why, but Thursday Hobby Lobby announced that it would be reopening in our town. Oh happy day!  Later in the day an email arrived announcing the reopening of Tuesday Morning on Friday. My daughter has been pining to shop there. I’m sure she will be there when they open, socially distant, of course.

That’s the story of my week, well except for books I am reading, social media work and an online Bible study on the book of Job. What was your week like? Have you discovered a favorite restaurant for take out, a new hobby or a television show to binge watch>

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Life During Covid 19-Part 9

25 Apr

The Comments Trap

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I am a comments section junky. I have a nosy curiosity about people. Why does a person hold a particular opinion? Is it from personal experience? How do they express themselves-with humor, kindness or rudeness? What motivates them?

Reading comments can be enlightening, but for me it can also be a trap. There is truth in what our mother’s taught us about not saying anything if you can’t say something nice. Even when I don’t comment negatively, my brain is churning with negative replies. This isn’t healthy for me spiritually or mentally.

So I am purposing to do better but I haven’t worked out the details yet. : )

This morning we went to the food distribution center. We waited in line for two hours but we had an audio book to finish and there was a nice breeze.

We never know what they are giving out, the surprise is part of the experience. Today they had an abundance of produce. South Florida has been turning under crops due to a lack of restaurants to supply. I am wondering if the veggies came from repurposing efforts to get the food to families. Today they had potatoes, onions, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, and beets as well as a package of pork chops, shredded cheese and a half gallon of milk. We don’t have an abundance of funds to share but we do have an abundance of time. We were able to share most of what we brought home with a neighbor friend who is a nurse and she shared with her parents. Together we will make it through this crisis.

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Life During Covid-19 Part 8

23 Apr

We Are So Blessed

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

We have toilet paper, hand sanitizer and paper towels. Two months ago, these items would not have made my thankful list of blessings. Coronavirus has changed our world. We definitely spend more time together.

Saturday night we watched the 25th anniversary of Phantom of the Opera from the Prince Albert Auditorium. It was free on You Tube. I am not a huge fan of the show but Mike and Rebekah love it. The best was the finale. Andrew Lloyd Webber and his wife made an appearance along with the original Phantom. Sarah Brightman sang an except with the original Phantom then with great drama several actors through the years joined them onstage to sing. It was magical.

On Sundays we eagerly tune in to a couple of our favorite churches online services. During the week we each have favorite churches and ministers that we listen to. If nothing else, this virus has created in us soul hunger.

Sunday night we watched Hope Rising, a group of Christian singers and speakers on Facebook.

Over 3 million people watched and worshipped together. Our churches are closed but our hearts are praising. The concert was to raise money for Samaritan’s Purse and their medical team. It accomplished so much more, inspiring all with a sense of unity in Jesus. As of Tuesday 1.6 million dollars were donated and this was a zero budget production!

Our daughter has been fortunate to not be furloughed from her job as most of her team have been. Monday was her first day of working from home. We rode with her to east Orlando (Any reason for an outing!) to meet a coworker and receive the “work” phone. She will be working 3-1130 pm. A shift in our family dynamics, but not a bad thing. Before The meet up for the phone was set in the deserted Chilli’s parking lot (Which felt kind of like a drug hang off. ) Before the meet up we went to the drive through at Culvers and got their cashew chicken for our supper. We really enjoy Culvers. And I love not cooking!

It’s warm in Florida but Wednesday there was a steady breeze that held a hint of cool. Any day now, the winds will shift and feel like they are coming off the equator. After a grocery run to Aldi, my daughter and I decided to sit out on the patio. We have an abundance of birds at the feeders and in the trees. Much more than usual. I choose to believe that God is providing them to enliven our days as we enjoy watching them. Rebekah put up the patio umbrella while I made each of us a granita.

I modified the recipe for the granita, which is an icy coffee drink, from one that I found on Cooking Keto with Kristi. This is a good blog if you eat low carb. Currently she is sharing 10 days of sheet pan meals using meats and foods one has on hand.

As I was writing this, the radio reminded me that SpaceX would be launching in two minutes with a payload of satellites. These satellites are set to create a new internet delivery system. I should have remembered that the radio is on delay. The rocket was already speeding on its journey by the time I grabbed my camera.


Later I went outside to take a picture of the Town Home construction across the street. The construction has been clogging the road making backing out of the drive a pain. Of course the trucks weren’t there. I am choosing to be thankful the crews are working and people will be getting new homes. It’s easy for me to choose thankfulness. I’m not the one who has to back our truck!


This week as I mentally list the good things happening as a result of what I call The Pause, I also feel guilt. There are heartbroken and frightened people around me and I can’t fix them. Thanks to the masks, I can’t even smile at people or receive a smile in the store, unless my eyes send the smile. Families are being separated at the hospital and die with only the staff at their bedside. This is brutal. I pray that those alone are surrounded with comforting angels. I don’t know it that is Biblical but I am praying it.

I am reminded of a favorite Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

I’m counting on this verse!

I almost forgot! Did you see this fun video on Facebook?

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Daily Life During Covid-19 Part 7

16 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Oh My Hair!

I haven’t had my hair trimmed since February 4, 2020. In the grocery store, I am beginning to look at women with suspicion. Are their roots showing? Is their hair shaggy?

Are they sneaking out to an underground hairdresser?

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

I was so close to making it to my appointment before essential businesses were closed. Would it be wrong to text my stylist and say, “hey girl how are you and would you mind making me your first appointment when you are back in the salon?” Or, maybe I should have chocolate delivered to her with a note.

I am having issues with golf being essential but personal grooming is not. I predict a lot of women working from home through video conferencing will be sporting some form of hat. Once your co-workers have seen you with “house hair” there is no going back, especially if someone captures a screen shot. On the other hand, one could use the screen shots as leverage. I can imagine a lot of screen shots going on.

Wednesday we ventured out to restock our pantry and husband needed some man-store time. We headed for Sam’s Club first but it had a line so we drove past and went to Harbor Freight, the man-store. We treated ourselves to a drive-through lunch from Steak and Shake, and an in-car picnic in an empty restaurant parking lot with a space near the river and a tree for shade.

After our picnic we drove down to Port Canaveral to visit one of our fishing spots and got to see one of the Disney Cruise Line ships.

There were people fishing but when my husband attempted to use the restroom the doors were locked. (That seems kind of mean)

Instead of retracing our route from Sam’s Club to the port, we changed it up and took different roads. It seems when we don’t get out much, we appreciate familiar scenery more. This time when we pulled into Sam’s Club parking lot the line was moving so we parked and went in.

This was the first time I wore the homemade mask a friend gave me. A lot of people were wearing masks which I guess is good but I really dislike wearing one. God bless our healthcare workers who wear them for hours and hours.

We quickly picked up the items on my list and checked out. At the exit I asked the door manager if I would have to wait in line if I was picking up an online order. Good news! I would simply need to come to the exit door and would be allowed in. I think I will place online orders until the need for masks is over.

This morning I realized I didn’t pick up ground beef at Sam’s Club. It wasn’t on my list. So much for shopping quickly. My husband drove me to Publix Supermarket and I donned my mask. Can someone tell me how to wear a mask without fogging up ones glasses? I ended up taking off my glasses.

After choosing two packages of ground beef (Man am I ever going to stock up when it is on sale, it cost a lot!) I proceeded to the dairy aisle and came to a socially distanced, face to face with an older lady wearing a mask. She looked familiar, like a friend I haven’t seen in a long time. She was staring at me as I stared at her. I yanked off my mask with a grin and said Jan? It was her! We had a short chat and promised to get together if this crisis ever goes away.

In my prayer time this morning, I was feeling pretty whiny about the isolation. I felt convicted about my attitude. Seriously, I couldn’t willingly give 30 days of my life to have extra time to spend in God’s word? As a family we have been doing an online study on the names of God. Rebekah, our daughter is doing a study on the book of Nehemiah and I just started a study of the book of Job.

Like so many, we have found blessings in this pause even as we grieve for those who are suffering. I am reminded of Isaiah43:19

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Trust in the Real Source

11 Apr

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged April 11, 2020

What was I thinking? Years ago, my house was filled with candles, all kinds of shapes, sizes and fragrances. But one day, I studied and became aware of their risk. I promptly removed them all when I realized the toxins they contain in their synthetic, chemically-laced harmful fragrances.The contrast was even more profound when a plant in our kitchen bloomed. The pretty honeysuckle flowers gave out a lovely fragrance, delightful, natural and real.

That scent lingered for days and days, filling the house with a delightful scent. Why would we enjoy fake candles when we have God’s creation?

But sadly, as life goes on, we also fall in the trap of enjoying and relying on fake things. We trust in our jobs, our health, our position, career, or our bank account.

But none of these hold any value when suddenly, life turns upside down and all seems to be falling apart around us. Like fake candles, they no longer have the scent of security anymore.

There’s Good News

What great news it is to know that among all the imitations, we have the authentic, genuine source of hope in God that blossoms in our heart.

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

No matter what the news reports, what the media repeats, what we read, what we find, or discover, God has the last Word. And when we carry these eight truths based on Ephesians 3, the fragrance of real hope fills our heart:

  1. God is above all we face in this world.
  2. God is our one and only hope.
  3. He’s shown His faithfulness during all plagues, devastation and destruction man has ever faced.
  4. God and God alone has the answers.
  5. God has the power to calm our heart and bring peace.
  6. God is the one and only provider of all.
  7. He is the one who will take us to triumph.
  8. God is the one and only source for confidence, calmness and victory.

Let’s Pray

Father, I know You delight when Your children put all their trust in You. Help me to please You as I silence fear and worry. Instead, remind me to find pure peace, calmness and confidence in Your restoring power that comes wrapped in Your love. In Jesus name.

Janet

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Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

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Daily Life During Covid-19 Part 6

11 Apr

Passover Week

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

So much has happened this week it is hard for me organize my thoughts. Some impressions I am still internalizing. Maybe writing this blog will help to gel my thoughts.

For only the second time in history, the Jews in Israel have been told to stay inside their homes during a portion of Passover. Many found this to be significant.

If you aren’t aware of the history of Passover, it began in ancient times when the people of Israel were captive slaves in Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh refused to set them free even though God sent plagues to torment him. The final plague would take the lives of every first born unless the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb was painted on the doorposts of their homes.

From Wikipedia:

the Book of Exodus, God helped the Israelites escape from slavery in ancient Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release the Israelite slaves. The last of the plagues was the death of the Egyptian first-born. The Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord knew to pass over the first-born in these homes, hence the English name of the holiday.

Tuesday, we decided to join with the Jewish tradition and pray for the passing of the Coronavirus. Coincidence or God that all week the virus models of deaths has changed downward almost daily?

Passover occurs with the full moon. Tuesday night the news said the moon would be pink tinged. My daughter, Rebekah and I decided to drive down to the river for a better view. I love the river at night, especially with a breeze. It is peaceful yet empowering. The moon looked white to me but it was beautiful.

The lights across the river are Kennedy Space center to the left probably Cape Canaveral Air Base to the right.

Wednesday we treated ourselves to dinner out. I am seriously tired of cooking. Dinner out was take out from the Moonlight Drive-In. I had planned to eat there but Rebekah and her dad voted to eat in the car by river. That evening we watched a live stream Seder. Rebekah participated in one last year, but this was our first experience. It was intriguing.

For a couple of days, my husband had been going through what I call a rough patch. I felt that if I could get him out of the house, he might perk up. Our daughter agreed to drive. Guess where we went? That’s right, the river. I thank God for the river. We found an unoccupied pavilion and covered the table with a nylon picnic blanket to protect us from germs than may have been lurking. It was warm but the breeze was nice and steady. The trip perked him up, his breathing settled down and we had a good evening.

The part of Passover week that I have been processing is what we did on Wednesday at noon. We received an email earlier in the week suggesting that as Joshua led the Jewish people to march around the city of Jericho for six days, then on the seventh day blow their shofars and shout, thus bringing down the city’s walls, that we could call out to the Lord in a similar manner to end the virus.

This was way outside of our comfort zone, but we felt we should participate. We downloaded a Shofar app onto our phones. Our daughter suggested we do this in our local hospital parking lot.

When we arrived at the hospital, there was a group of around 10-15 gathered. With social distancing in mind, we didn’t join them. (Also we are a family of fairly introverted people) As the clock moved to noon, the group began blowing their shofars, (They had the real thing and they were loud) We activated our apps and sounded the shofar and prayed. We prayed for the passing of the virus and claimed God’s glory and fire. We shouted victory over the virus as well as over the evils the have spread over the earth, lying, greed, murder, hatred and deception, I have never felt such emotion flooding my soul.

Matthew 18:20 says “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” He was there.

And then we got into our cars and went home.

I spent Good Friday enjoying messages from various churches and making a low carb chocolate raspberry cheesecake. As I write this blog I am listening to a live stream of Handel’s Messiah – Easter Concert with The Tabernacle Choir.

I almost forgot! Since our churches are not meeting physically our church staff made up these simple Easter bags and the pastor dropped them off at homes today. I was thrilled to discover a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I texted him that it was the best ever Easter bag!

Treats like these are usually taken to members who are homebound or as we used to say, shut-ins. We are all shut-ins now!

May your Easter be joyful.

UPDATE Florida Stay at Home allows for outdoor activity as long as social distancing is followed.

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Good News That Never Has a Downside

7 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Last night I began to hear positive news about the Coronavirus. It was exciting. Sadly I also heard the news of a friend’s mother passing a week after her father in law and another friend whose mother was taken by ambulance to hospital with pneumonia.

I am thankful there is one piece of good news that never has a downside. The news of the empty tomb. And because of the empty tomb we have hope. God had a plan!

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10)

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18a)

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Our churches are closed but the message of Jesus cannot be contained.

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Daily Life During Covid-19 Part 5

4 Apr

Celebrating our 49th anniversary Coronavirus style

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

The latter part of this week I have alternated between feelings of anxiety and peace. I don’t feel the anxiety is due to fear of the virus, rather I believe it is from the feeling of life being suspended.

Our daughter is working reduced hours so Wednesday she and her father took on a home improvement project. (That did make me anxious as my husband’s energy levels are easily taxed) But you know how fathers are when their daughters ask for help.

My husband slept in on Thursday so my daughter and I ran some errands. We scored two dozen eggs! When we returned they set to work. I tried to stay out of their way.

My daughter approved my plan to have a friend pick me up and drive me to the river as long as I sat in the back seat and we maintained social distancing. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air and enjoy conversation that did not involve Coronavirus. (Yes, our governor said this is ok)

We sat at a table under a pavilion. The breezes were heavenly.

Friday our anniversary day arrived! That morning I began calling the local steakhouse I had chosen for our celebratory take out meal. I had been concerned about setting it up as people had been complaining the phones were always busy. I prayed the night before that I would not be anxious about this and I got through on the phone after 3 tries!

Earlier in the week I had gone to Amazon Prime and paid the rental fee for the movie we had chosen for our dinner and movie at home celebration. Normally the movie would have been in the theaters, but due to the shelter at home orders it was available online.

The dinner was a delicious success! Our daughter had picked up a half dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for our dessert but we were too full and decided to create an “intermission” during the movie to enjoy the doughnuts with coffee. (Who needs popcorn when one can have doughnuts?) The movie we chose was I Still Believe, a true story. If you need a faith booster, I highly recommend it. I think my husband, an action movie guy, was a bit teary at the end.

I think I may have enjoyed our stay at home celebration more than a night out.

I love these verses from the book of Numbers in the Bible. They are often spoken as a benediction. May His peace be upon you.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Lost My Joy…

1 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

March 15, 2020 was the last time I had social, in person interaction outside of my family. I met a friend for lunch and we had a lovely chat. Little did I imagine how rapidly life would change. The irony is that for the first time, the restaurant gave me a buy one get one free meal card. I haven’t been able to use it and I am not sure the restaurant will be in business when this crisis is over.

I worry that keeping business closed will collapse the whole world’s economy. Think no money for anyone. I also worry that opening the businesses will result in more deaths. The politicians and media make it worse by pointing fingers and arguing.

The bottom line is my personal behavior is the only thing I can control or fix. I usually begin my day with reading devotionals and praying over the scriptures. Today I delayed the prayer portion and I was unsettled all morning. While writing this blog I realized something.

Joy had left my house.

In the place of joy, I had welcomed in anxiety. I allowed discontent and fretful thoughts to party in my mind. I behaved as one who had no hope. My beloved and plain speaking mother would have asked, “What do you have a Lord for?”

It’s true that in myself I lack hope but in my God, I have hope and joy. I am comforted that God was not taken by surprise by the Coronavirus. He knew it was coming and he will lead me through it with hope and joy.

Easter is coming.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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