A Reflection from our Youth
For most privileged teenagers living in America today, no school is a dream. Snow days are the best and any reason for school cancellation is a good reason, or should, I say it was. I am a big fan of routine and enjoy having a school day to look forward to every day but I’m not immune to the excitement when FCPS announces on Twitter that school is canceled and I get a couple more hours of sleep the next day. It can be the best feeling to have a little time off, but now more than ever, I realize that you need to be careful what you wish for.
The COVID-19 outbreak otherwise known as Coronavirus has closed schools for the entire rest of the semester and most systems will try to incorporate distance learning in the next few weeks. This news hit me differently than I expected. Being a fairly self-motivated person and wanting to continue to look on the bright side, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad to use the two weeks off we originally had to get some work done for the school musical, to make sure it could still happen on April 29th as planned, and prepare for exams. After this week, all of those intentions were practically pointless.
The day before in-person schooling in Virginia was canceled for the rest of the year, our director made the heartwrenching announcement that our spring musical could not happen under the expected circumstances. Not only that, our kids camp fundraiser (the biggest one of the year), banquet ceremony, and induction ceremony for the International Thespian Society would most likely be canceled as well. But in the midst of all this news, I hurt the most for those who lost their jobs in retail, restaurants, and what hit closest to home, technicians, and actors in theaters across the county and the world. My high school career so far has been designed around the theater, and the joy it brings to me and many others in this world is what makes me get through trouble in my life and not having the artistic outlet anymore for the unforeseeable future breaks my heart.
As I write this reflection, I ponder over a few things. What has God done to prepare us for an outbreak of this scale? How can we carry on despite the anxiety that can be crippling and prevent us from getting out of bed? Even considering the heartbreaking events over the past couple weeks, there are a few blessings that have appeared to me. I realized that time with family and friends in person is more precious than I previously considered. Every phone call I have with my Grammie is so meaningful to me and brings me hope in this moment of distress, and gives me a perspective I had not previously considered. God is looking out for us in this time and still granting us the gifts of communication even if we can’t be closer than six feet apart. Even if we feel unprepared, we know that, in time, this crisis will end just like all the others.
Right now I just think of the happy moments like the Facetime call I received today from my Aunt Ellen with my 1-year-old 2nd cousin Aubrey on the camera
screen. Aubrey is young enough that she will not remember this but this moment will be unforgettable for the rest of us. I am following a Lent prayer plan from my Sunday School class and am participating in the Youth “Escape the Coronavirus Race” challenge and am really enjoying having something to accomplish every day. I highly recommend having a goal to learn something new during this time, it helps keep the mind occupied. I pray for all of you in this time of uncertainty.
Susan W.
