There is a saying, "What comes around, goes around" and even though we may think we are going through something never experienced, I find it interesting that it is NOT the first time America has experienced a "pandemic." This poem was written during the 1869 pandemic, reprinted during another pandemic of 1919, and it certainly is applicable for the pandemic of 2020. When I read the poem it seems as if it were written for today because it is so fitting to how people are coping with the Stay Home orders.
Recently, I have heard people say, "Welcome to the new norm." I'm not sure what they are referring to exactly, but I don't see anything new or normal about wearing face masks, socially distancing, or living disconnected from our family and friends and I pray this does NOT become our "new norm."
On the other hand, I'm excited about the possibilities and opportunities that are being revealed in the process and increasing hope for a better tomorrow. You might say, "HOPE?" and doubt that the future looks bright, but America is known for its resiliency and we're already seeing the American people rally. Many people are so eager to return to "normal" they are living in denial of the existence of Covid-19. This is not advisable as it is a real communicable disease. On the other hand, if we look to the past we can find encouragement. When I look at the dates of these pandemics and then how the world changed in the years following, I think of the ROARING 1920's and the many progressive changes that took place in the aftermath of the 1919 pandemic.
There is hope in the last few sentences of the poem about how we can and will come out of this,
"They grieved for the dead and made new choices and dreamed of new visions, and created new ways of living.
And completely healed the earth just as they were healed."
Day 81: Heal