We are in quarantine this week, it officially began on Saturday when Ben tested positive for Covid. The doctor told Ben I didn’t need to be tested too, but if I started showing signs or symptoms to treat the symptoms. I had been having a headache off and on for a couple of days and then came the mild fever, sore throat, and a bit of fatigue over the weekend. At this point, we are guessing we are about 6 days in–we had no clue we were experiencing beginning Covid signs. My first sign–a reoccurring headache, was just like so many other barometric pressure headaches I get when there is a big change in the barometric pressure. Ben’s early symptoms were nasal congestion and a mild, dry cough. (Thankfully–Ben was working at home last week and didn’t spread Covid to his co-workers.) We wear a mask when we go to stores, etc. so we are pretty sure we kept this contained (or we are hoping and praying we didn’t share the sickness.) We believe Hannah has had it too, but she has tested negative 3 times so I can’t explain how that is possible. However, she had the same signs and symptoms as Ben, but we just thought she was experiencing a winter cold.
Overall, we are doing good. We believe we are experiencing a mild case. Ben has had congestion, dry cough, mild fever for 2 days, and some fatigue. He asked to try Ivermectin which has been found to act like Tamiflu according to a study that was just released on January 19th, but the doctor wouldn’t prescribe it at the walk-in clinic where Ben was tested. My determined husband ordered it at the tractor supply place and had it delivered to our trunk via curbside pick-up. No contact! He calculated the dosing and voila–Ivermectin. He has taken 3 doses and I took 1–we did not give any to Hannah since she was feeling better. (Let me note that I am not a doctor/nurse and not suggesting you take Ivermectin. We made the decision based on the study we read and the fact that there are doctors in our town that are prescribing this medicine to lessen the side effects Unfortunately, it was the weekend when Ben got tested and we couldn’t get in to see one of those doctors.)
I’ve been using this downtime to re-organize and declutter. We were told by many people to be careful to not lay still for too long and to get up and move around. We are being very careful to follow this advice. We make sure we get up and move around every hour except when we are sleeping. We go outside for fresh air and exercise with little walks–I didn’t yesterday because the weather was yucky. So when I am doing my “moving around” I am putting things back where they belong and even finding better homes for a few items. When we are finished with quarantine, we are even going to give away some furniture, because I may have decided to rearrange our entire family room and playroom. Hey–that involved everyone moving! It took a lot of convincing that this idea was good for our bodies.
So what have I learned so far from these days of being in total quarantine?
- Moving furniture makes you take lots of deep breaths! Repeatedly!
- Being still and resting is good for your mind and soul.
- Apparently, there were quite a few areas in our home that had been neglected due to wedding prep and Christmas.
- Walmart’s no contact pick-up service is delightful.
- I am grateful for having a mild case especially because my body is trying to fight cancer at the same time.
- I am thankful I haven’t lost my sense of smell or taste–yet. Ben lost these 2 days ago. I asked him what supper tasted like–he replied, “a variety of textures.” He also asked me to cook all of the healthy vegetables he doesn’t like so he could benefit from this loss. Yes–that’s my man!
- We are praising that ours has been mild while praying for those who are really suffering through this mess! Please join us in this–we know many who have really had a hard time, and even lost loved ones.
On another note: You still have time to submit your story for February’s Guest Blogger Post where you share your God Story. I really feel like giving others a place to share their God Story is vital to one of my goals of sharing about living the Christian Life. Your story about how God has worked in your life will testify to others in a way that my story never will. If we all work together to share our stories, then God will get the glory and his message will be shared in a variety of ways.
Here are the guidelines:
Guidelines for Writing a Guest Blog @ Godisup2Something
Thank you so much for desiring to share your story and how God worked through events and/or people to bring Glory to His name. Our main purpose at Godisup2Something in sharing from our life stories is to proclaim to the world how the Lord is faithful, trustworthy, and why whether through good, joyful events, or horrible, life-altering events His name is still worthy of our praise.
1 John 1:1-4 (NLT) says, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our own hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.“ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”
I love how John opens this letter perfectly describing the reason for his writing. He was writing this letter to share his personal testimony of what he had “heard, seen, looked at and touched” concerning THE WORD of LIFE, Jesus Christ. He was proclaiming to the false teachers of the time that Jesus had existed in human form on this earth and had fellowshipped with him and many others before going to be with God.
The best stories to share from our lives will include “what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our own hands concerning the Word of life.” Now before you think I am claiming to have actually seen Jesus with my literal eyes or touched Him with my physical hands—I am not. I’m telling you to write your story from your own personal experiences of how the LORD has been working through problems, accidents, illnesses/healings, job loss/gain, births/deaths, addictions/restorations, etc. The foundation of our stories should always include how God intervened or worked in a situation where we could then clearly give Him the glory for His plan.
Here are the guidelines for sharing your story on Godisup2Something Blog:
1) Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you through your writing. Ask Him to help you to remember the details and events accurately. Ask for guidance of “how much” to share.
2) Tell “your story or your part” within a bigger story. You must have firsthand knowledge of an event to share it. We all have experiences that others can relate to.
3) Make sure to include the “purpose” for the story. What was the takeaway? the lesson learned? the way you saw God working? This is equally as important as the story.
4) Length does not necessarily = excellence. Try to give enough information to make the story make sense without bogging down the reader with unnecessary thoughts. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you with telling enough information for story flow and understanding.
5) End your story with life application whenever it is possible. What concept, truth or idea can the reader apply to their own lives?
6) There is no payment for sharing except for the joy of telling others how God has been at work in your life. 😊
Again, thank you for sharing your story—but ultimately, God’s story with others.
Please send all submissions in a Word Document or PDF to:
subject line: Story submission for Godisup2Something
Please include your full name with submission. If your story is selected to be presented as a guest blog, there may be follow-up questions as I go through the editing process. I try to correct grammatical errors, and sometimes rearrange ideas or thoughts into smaller chunks to make a more powerful statement. By your submission, you agree to corrections or rearranging by myself. I do not change the meaning of your writing, just the rearrangement. Sometimes it may be necessary for us to dialogue before the piece is ready for posting. If this becomes necessary, I may request a phone number for easier discussion.
Also, the way I am approaching this is new to me, so be patient with me as I work out the kinks along the way.
These are the deadline dates for submission:
February 3rd, March 3rd, April 3rd, May 3rd, June 3rd, July 3rd, August 3rd, September 3rd, October 3rd, November 3rd, and December 3rd.
Let’s share the testimonies of God at work in our lives!
