The Covid-19 Pandemic reaped the harvest of buried seeds sown in my life’s garden. The past four months permitted me down time to soul search and meditate on what’s truly essential and important. Without the rush and hustle of daily life, I was left in the quiet with myself. And although the pandemic began as an unexpected throat-punch, its benefits manifested gradually and unknowingly in several areas:

Finances: revelation of frivolous spending on non-essentials; I paid off three credit cards 

Clutter: examination of what’s a necessity vs. a desire- do I NEED 100 pairs of shoes/dresses; leggings/Crocs have been my daily preferred choice

Relationships: contemplation of what really matters – in the quest for more – will it matter if I don’t have my loved ones to share life with

Peace: observation of how crucial my state of mind is – it is Everything! Hard decisions were a key component to preserve my peace and relieve unnecessary stressors 

Spirituality: affirmation that spirituality is an absolute! With the churches closed, I bore the sole responsibility to cultivate my spiritual growth. I realized that my 3-M goals (3 things I’ve consistently prayed about) wouldn’t provide the joy and fulfillment I believed they would. Without God, the tangible keeps me in the pursuit of longing for more.  My thirst can only be quench with spiritual maturity and growth. 

My pondering of the pandemic’s positive effects brought me to a state of gratitude and thankfulness. I’m not negating the challenges and great loss of lives; however, there was a need to acknowledge the positives results of this time of quarantine: 

The veil of systematic racism has been torn and a movement birthed  

The erection of tables for open conversations and acknowledgements 

The revelations of the true character of those we’d esteemed highly and trusted

These are just a few beneficial results disguised during this time; there are countless more. There is gold in every piece of our life story- sometimes we just have to dig deep to find it. Our limitations aren’t powerful enough to stop the blessings of an All Powerful God!