Schools are closed including colleges and universities - indefinately.
Restaurants are closed except for take out and drive through.
Banks are closed.
Small Businesses are closed - including Jordan's car detailing.
Wedding Venues are closed, cancelling our March and April events - total of 5 - and Jordan's cleaning of those venues.
All Bars closed.
Libraries and other locations of gathering are closed.
Grocery stores have had empty shelves for almost a week now, and foretold to be another 3-4 weeks.
The virus is in EVERY state of the United States now, with thousands dying every day.
In is also in almost EVERY country in the world with literally thousands dying there also. The headlines of yesterday's paper was that Italy had lost a whole generation of people - over 5000.
The federal government has mandated that no more than 10 people can gather together at anytime and that we are all quarantined to our homes.
My MCO choir rehearsals and concert have been postponed and have to be rescheduled.
And ALL sports - professional, collegiate, local, state wide, nationally ARE CANCELLED!! That meant, no NCAA March Madness with BYU finally going to the dance - no baseball, no volleyball - no basketball - no NOTHING!!!!!!!! My mind literally is in withdrawals...
And there is NO vaccination or cure for this virus.
Now, with all this information, here is the action that the church has taken.
ALL gatherings and meetings have been cancelled until further notice - indefinitely is the word being used.
No sacrament meetings.
No Youth or stake meetings.
The temples are closed, except for live ordinances, and even they are postponed.
General Conference will be held in a special location where only the First Presidency and those giving prayers etc , will be invited to be there. Not even the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will be there, and they have pre-recorded all the songs for the conference.
Missionaries are being sent home and those still in the field, are being quarantined.
We have been given permission to have Sacrament meeting in our homes - and last Sunday, along with Jordan's family, we held our own family Sacrament meeting. It was such a spiritual experience, as Del and Ammon prepared the Sacrament, then blessed and passed it to each family member. Emerson and Evie were slightly in awe about the old thing. I was overwhelmed with love for my family and Father in Heaven for the opportunity to be together having that experience.
Emotions are raw and overwhelming over this whole experience. There are not enough medical supplies, tests or equipment to try and take care of those with the virus. California and New York have mandated 'stay home' directives to ALL people of those states with many other states wanting to do the same. People are literally dying every minute. You can see maps of the world where it appears just as a plague moving gradually from west to east, overcoming every corner of the globe.
Parents are faced with tying to now be care givers, teachers and still take care of their homes 24/7 now.. People quarantined are depressed, panicked and acting out drastically . People are stock piling food and supplies, not leaving enough for those who are also in need. There is a sense of selfishness with some and yet, on the other hand, there re those offering 'all they have' to those who have none.
This country, and the world, is in shock. The news keeps us updated by the hour showing the gradual progression of the virus throughout the world. And for those that already have the virus, there are not enough medical supplies to take care of them. Hence, the panic continues. And our President Trump is literally causing more harm than good. He is in denial and claims things are not as bad as it seems. That he'll find people to make more supplies - he's just shooting off his mouth - he's just an idiot!! I can't stand to even watch him on the tv, trying to act like he knows what he's saying.
On the other hand, we have President Nelson who sends us a very beautiful message of hope and faith for the people of the world. And expresses how excited he is about the upcoming General Conference. What a wonderful help his message has been to those of us who are experiencing slight feelings of being upended and unsettled.
So. Bottom line? We are at home, enjoying occasional visits from our family and watching a lot of tv, reading of scriptures and reading of books. Del and Ammon both work from home, of which gives me sooo much calm. I pray for the rest of my children and their families. The Lord is very aware of His children on planet earth. We must remain calm - allowing the Lord to be in control.
Del feels everyone is very much over reacting. He feels this is a normal course of life. I don't quite feel the same - I don't feel panic is necessary, but I do believe in being proactive and preventing things from happening if possible. It appears there may be some tension between Del and I when we discuss the subject. He's a pro- Trump, I'm not. So I will need to be careful when I discuss things with Del. I don't want any contention i n our home during times like this. I want to enjoy the promised peace the Lord is sending by obedience to commandments and righteous living.
