Anouk & Estelle – lockdown days

3rd lockdown. During our first two lockdowns our government’s message was clear that we would aim for zero cases. Lockdowns were effective & Australia continuously eliminated the virus.

While 2020 involved lockdowns & isolation, we personally spent Jan-Aug 2021 free from the virus & lockdowns. We relocated to Newcastle (again). Reunited with family & friends one by one. A trip to Bathurst for a puppy. A family camping trip. Went to live theatre & galleries. Enjoyed art & drama classes. Started to feel comfortable without masks again. Anouk performed on a stage & had friends over to our home. Ava had just been introduced to the teens her age at our new church & Estelle was excited about starting a local playgroup. We booked in & then lockdown was announced that day. She didn’t get to go. Life outside our home is on hold again. This time for much longer.

Our government changed the message from ‘aiming for zero’, to ‘learning to live with it’ and we don’t really know what that will look like yet. But eventually the unknown will be known. We just need patience in the waiting.

This is a battle & you can’t rush a war. This year as part of our home schooling we’ve learned the details of WW1, WW2 & about inspirational people like Corrie ten Boom who lived courageously through wartime.

When I feel despair about living through a season of loss & waiting, first I focus on all we have, rather than on what’s lost. I’m also inspired by those who lived through wartimes, where some battled on the frontlines & others had to wait & often hide (with much more to fear) while precious time went by during years of childhood & youth, with no idea if they should hope for a return to ‘normal’.

“When a train goes through a tunnel & it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” – Corrie ten Boom.