Saturday, April 11, 2020

living in quarantine

I've been in quarantine for a month now due to covid-19. I've only got to go out to a few stores for groceries. My husband,on the otherhand,has had to work.

I'm so glad we got married last year and not this year. I would have been devastated with the global epidemic of the co-vid19 coronavirus and the global shutdown vs trying to plan a wedding. It was crazy enough last year in making sure all the details were in order by picking the perfect dress, making sure decorations, flowers, and other items were ready and that everything was organized. It would have been tough scheduling some things because some items are nonessential so those businesses would have been closed like they are now.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think our first year of marriage would be in an epidemic or even in my lifetime.  I am so grateful my husband and I have each other. I think it would have been much harder going through these crazy times if I was still single and living alone. The "social distancing" or isolation probably would have depressed me.

It is ironic that a lot of things are the opposite to what they normally are. The news used to announce that socializing only on social media such as Facebook, is bad for your mental health. Now they are telling us to self quarantine because of the coronavirus and only keep in contact with others through phone, internet or social media. 
The stores always advertise to come in their stores. Now the stores are closed temporary or permanently and are telling us to stay away.
The news used to announce that it isn't good to use too much hand sanitizer. Now it feels like they are telling us to wash our hands and sanitizer our hands so much.

Another thing that's the opposite is a lot of people lost their jobs or have to stay home temporarily so they are spending a lot more time with their family. Before the quarantine, they were going to school or work or both. Then there were the families that have children with different interests so they were rushing after school to go to music practice, or sporting event, or other activities. And that didn't even include more sports practice and games on Saturdays or Sundays. 
This is our new world right now. The unknown. No get togethers. No church services in buildings. No fellowships. No running to baseball practice. Nor enjoying hot meals inside a restaurant.  No watching the hottest new movie at a theater or getting our favorite hair cut style. And absolutely no phycial contact with someone who doesn't live with you which is hard for me. I love to shake hands and give hugs to others  
   
On a positive note, It is nice to see families spending more time together. And even though we have can't gone to church, they are watching the device remembering that the church building is not the I've been in quarantine for a month now due to covid-19. I've only got to go out to a few stores for groceries. My husband,on the otherhand,has had to work.

I'm so glad we got married last year and not this year. I would have been devastated with the global epidemic of the co-vid19 coronavirus and the global shutdown vs trying to plan a wedding. It was crazy enough last year in making sure all the details were in order by picking the perfect dress, making sure decorations, flowers, and other items were ready and that everything was organized. It would have been tough scheduling some things because some items are nonessential so those businesses would have been closed like they are now.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think our first year of marriage would be in an epidemic or even in my lifetime.  I am so grateful my husband and I have each other. I think it would have been much harder going through these crazy times if I was still single and living alone. The "social distancing" or isolation probably would have depressed me.

It is ironic that a lot of things are the opposite to what they normally are. The news used to announce that socializing only on social media such as Facebook, is bad for your mental health. Now they are telling us to self quarantine because of the coronavirus and only keep in contact with others through phone, internet or social media. 
The stores always advertise to come in their stores. Now the stores are closed temporary or permanently and are telling us to stay away.
The news used to announce that it isn't good to use too much hand sanitizer. Now it feels like they are telling us to wash our hands and sanitizer our hands so much.
Another thing that's the opposite is a lot of people lost their jobs or have to stay home temporarily so they are spending a lot more time with their family. Before the quarantine, they were going to school or work or both. Then there were the families that have children with different interests so they were rushing after school to go to music practice, or sports, or other activities. And that didn't even include more sports practice and games on Saturdays or Sundays. 
This is our new world right now. The unknown. No get togethers. No church services in buildings. No running to baseball practice. Nor enjoying hot meals inside a restaurant.  No watching the hottest new movie at a theater or getting our favorite hair cut style.
   
On a positive note, It is nice to see families spending more time together. And remembering that the church building is not the actual church. WE ARE. 



 church. WE ARE. 




Friday, April 10, 2020

I am a Survivor by Christiana Fletcher

In September of 2019 I tried to commit suicide and ended up on the floor of the hospital. 
For a long time, I wanted to stop the physical and mental suffering I was going through. 

Also a guy at my church who had been manipulating me for months, didn't help. When we became friends, I started seeing red flags yet I felt God wanted me to help him. We were even going to go on some dates, but he never showed up and he told me to never contact him again. I was crushed.

Note: Please be aware that people who are chronically ill are sometimes more vulnerable to manipulative and pathological liars. 

That was the last straw for me. Why was this world so cruel? Why was I suffering since the age of 17 (34 now)?
Because of the emptiness I felt inside due to the hurts I went through, I took every pill in the kitchen and it was no mistake God still wanted me here. I survived.

Let me warn, if you're thinking about doing this, remember the doctors will take away all your medication in the hospital if you try to commit suicide. The doctors will ignore your chronic illness and treat you like a psych patient which is where I ended up next, the psych unit. 

In the psych hospital, God starting touching my heart. I ended up meeting people and we all talked about God most of the time. We did music therapy, karaoke, and I was even asked to sing Lauren Daigle's song "You Say" which touched my heart and I cried. 

I knew this was part of my purpose, to reach people with music even in the hospital. When I went home, it took me months to recover. I was so distraught, yet God turned my anger into feeling sorry for this person that continually manipulated me.  God gave me supernatural, unexplainable peace for 3 days. Thankfully, I could finally sleep. It was definitely a supernatural feeling from God.

From there I had to drag myself from the bottom of the well and rise up. Thankfully I had help due to God helping me.
Ever since then, good things are happening for me. I entered a photography contest online and won, and I was featured in a national fine arts gallery. Plus I sold some photos. I've been writing songs like crazy and sharing them with people. Even a magazine called "She shreds" is even thinking about using me for a piece about chronically ill musicians. 

My nurse practitioner and hematologist are actually discovering what could be the root cause of my illness. They say I need a bone marrow biopsy to confirm it. I have to wait for the biopsy to see what happens 

God is using me through all that I have gone through. Recently I went onto a local campus with college students from Georgia, and ministered to them. I lead two people to the Lord and they accepted Christ. 
I realized that all the life experiences we go through, can and will be used to help others, if you let it.

I wrote songs in the hospital about what happened and here's a link to one of them. 
 https://youtu.be/sxV5njGnxqw


(Used by permission through contact from Christiana Fletcher on Facebook and Messenger 3/16/2020