Items

• 
  2020-09

  Socially Separated Sandwiches

  During the fall of 2020, a local homeless shelter was unable to offer beds to people in need during the COVID pandemic due to space and resource restrictions. It was hard to witness these organizations meant to help people also need extra love and help during the pandemic whether it be for medical, physical, or financial reasons. In response to the need, my church was able to step up to make sandwiches that the shelter could hand out to the people living on the streets that they were unable to serve at the time. We wore masks, took extra safety precautions, and socially distanced in an assembly style line outside in the church parking lot where we made packages of chips and sandwiches. While working together to make the sandwiches for the homeless shelter, I was reminded that we are still a community even when we cannot be together in the same ways we were before the pandemic. Finding pockets of community in the turbulent pandemic has been a blessing and chance for me to truly appreciate those around me and think of different ways that I can reach out to the community and be a part of it despite the circumstances. Distance did not have to mean silence and stillness. People were able to help in any way possible. If they were unable to help make the sandwiches, they prayed for the mission or donated money for the supplies. People shared what they could and came together when it mattered the most. This story highlights how even in times where we stayed apart to remain safe, we were still able to come together in another way to support each other. Communities didn't have to disappear during the pandemic, and this is just one example of their power to persevere in dark times.
• 2021-01-31

  Suffering and Loss

  I work as an investigations contractor assigned to assist my county health department with interviewing positive covid-19 patients. I recently spoke with an 85-year-old C19 patient who was hospitalized and awaiting surgery for a brain bleed at the time of our conversation. She explained that she had fallen in her backyard trying to retrieve her feral cat's bed from a rainstorm, tripped, and laid in the rain for almost two hours before anyone found her. Both she and her late husband contracted covid-19 around Christmas, and he died soon thereafter. The hospital where he received his final treatments allowed her to visit him just before he passed, which is an unusual and gracious blessing at this time. The medical interview that normally takes 30 minutes required almost two hours and tears from both of us. When we finished, I wished her well, offered that I looked forward to speaking with her soon, and asked God to bless her. I called her hospital gift shop and ordered a carved wooden angel to be delivered to her room, as she’s a woman of faith. I had the card signed from me and the Health Dept, so I suppose I’ll find out this week if anyone complained about it. More than anything else, I’m hoping her file shows a successful discharge and recovery by now. She told me she looked forward to trading in the cafeteria food for her son's gourmet cooking, and I pray she's already done that.
• 
  2021-01-21

  Covid affects peoples lives

  When there were more covid cases reported across the world my mom started taking all the precautions necessary to stay healthy. We do not have many family relatives so when we found out that my Aunt got Covid19 and she was in the hospital we were worried. I had only seen my aunt when I was little, but my mom had known my aunt her whole life. My Aunt is still in the hospital right now but we are hoping and praying she will become healthy and safe again.
• 2020-05-31

  COVID-19 Shutdowns, Political Conspiracy

  This post demonstrates how politicized the division over COVID-19 closures have become. This post blames Democrats for not allowing gatherings, such as church, during this pandemic, but supporting the Black Lives Matters protests. It also demonstrates the growing connection between those who are opposed to both the COVID-19 shutdowns and the Black Lives Matters protests. Posted to http://reddit.com/r/insanepeoplefacebook.
• 
  2020-04-18

  Niño se arrodilla y reza en plena calle por el fin de esta crisis ocasionada por el COVID-19 en Perú

  Esta imagen se viralizó rápidamente en redes sociales se ve al pequeño Alen Castañeda Zelada (6) de rodillas, con los ojos cerrados y las manos juntas en una desolada calle, ubicada en La Libertad - Trujillo - Perú . El pequeño Alen salió a la calle durante la noche para orar por el fin de esta crisis ya que solo así podrá volver a ver a sus abuelos. El menor dijo tambien a los medios "Rezo para que Dios cuide a los que están con esta enfermedad. Estoy pidiendo que nadie salga, muchas personas grandes están muriendo con esta enfermedad".