A few weeks ago I couldn’t sleep. I lay thinking about the lockdown and the new way of life we were all having to adapt to.
I felt the urge to write down the events of my day to day existence. For complicated reasons I have not been able to stay in my home for the lockdown and am living with my brother in law(Bil) in Glasgow. So it is a strange time for me.
Then I thought what about others? Those in different living circumstance to me. I spoke to some online friends and a project was born that will eventually be published.
This will go down as an unusual period in history. I expect many people will be keeping an account of what they feel each day. It is a constructive thing to do when you are not in control of your personal world.
Seven days.
Seven different diaries.
Seven quotes from others highlighting their experience.
Writers
Missy began the seven days with her post, which can be found here
Jae followed up with day 2, which can be found here
MLSlave took the day 3 slot which can be found here
His Lordship wrote about the 4th day which you can read here
Sweetgirl followed on with the 5th day which you can find here
Posy continued with Day 6 and you can read it here
I would like to thank all these writers for sharing such a personal account. And who knows maybe in the future readers will look back on what we have written as a reference to this strange time we are globally living through.
We have all been adding a day to our blog to show a snip-it of what our diaries are like. This is an excerpt of my Day 7.
Seven Days in April
Day 7 ~ April 7th
Some of the architecture in Glasgow is very impressive and I looked up at the tall tenements as I walked over to the Necropolis. I have a thing about grave yards in general but this must be one of the most incredible in the world. Born from a time when Glasgow was the second most powerful city in the empire. The graves span a massive area and contain all kinds of different people from the past. Including Barons and such like.
Outside the Necropolis
As I strolled around I passed others on their daily walk and we nodded to each other. That often happens in the country side but hardly ever in a city. People were acknowledging each other as way of recognising that we are united by the hardship of this dreadful time we are all going through. It buoyed me a little and felt like a moment of grace.
I did a lot of work on my blog today and apart from feeling physically weak was OK. I don’t mind isolation. My man and I live a lot of our time together miles away from others. So that aspect is not causing me a problem. I think it is more not being in my own home. When we are working we care for animals which I miss greatly – but we are outdoors a lot and in in large spaces. The animals seem to add a soulful dimension to my life and help me to adapt to not being at home. Now, here I am in a small living space and feel like I’m putting Bil out too.
One thing I think everyone shares at the moment is the effect of not being able to plan. I don’t expect some people have too much problem with the lock down. Many can get on with jobs at home or play games. But what we all have in common is not being able to look to the future. That messes with a mind, making life feel like a kind of limbo. The truth is at this moment we don’t know when this is going to end. Or, when we will be allowed to go back to work or indeed think about taking a holiday. Nothing is certain.
In the diary entry I mention grace. I didn’t mean this as a religious concept – even though I was walking around a grave yard attached to a cathedral. Grace to me is something that we all should search for on a daily basis. Small or huge moments that light your way or stop the tears from falling.
I believe in me and I believe in grace. Over my life time I have experienced the feeling of grace while reading a book, suddenly a line of words cleared the fog in my brain and I knew I was going to be OK.
Grace blessed me when my whole family didn’t die in an accident which the police said should have killed us all.
Love allows our spirit to grow and enables us to be receptive to moments of grace that fill our hearts and help us overcome anything with the knowledge that – higher things than us exist in the world.
Hope for the Future
With regards to hope, the best I can ask for for is a better world for my children and god-children. One where love abounds and moments of grace illuminates their way…
Covid 19- Seven Days
HOPE – Seven Days in April
Lockdown ~ Seven Days in April
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26 thoughts on “Seven Days ~ Grace will overcome”
This is a great project! I don’t have much trouble being isolated. We are a household of introverts, and we do well with our routines. I can work from home, too. My husband is a first responder, and as such is out of the house daily. We have little with others, but things are slowly starting to lift here. I go to work on occasion, we have families we trust and we let our boys hang out together. We are no longer in complete lock down here. It’s hard to say if this will stick, but we are slowly getting back to life. We didn’t have very many cases in our area, and our county is on it when it comes to regulations, so I feel pretty confident in the way our community is handling it. It’s hard to keep the big city folk from coming out to camp and hike. We’ve even had a few restaurants refuse to serve anyone who wasn’t a local. These are weird times, for sure.
Thanks for your comment Brigit – these are weird times indeed and I think attitudes will change to various things because of what we have all been thru – not to mention the devastation to the economy x
There indeed is something about graveyards, walking around there and looking at the gravestones, the dates, and imagining the lives the people have had. It makes you realize that we should live every day to the fullest, because we never know when it will be our turn.
This is a great project you have set up, May, and I look forward to see how the book turns out.
This has been interesting—this project. I have thought about my days at the start of April as each of you has written your piece. But why are you not at home? I would be doing so much more poorly if I were away from my Queen. Facing this together is how we do things.
Not knowing about your accident, I’m glad it wasn’t the disaster it could have been. Stay well!
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts here. It has been a really interesting project and one I am glad to have been able to take part in. I looked forward to reading the completed product ?
Are they bad echos or good Mr S? As a lot of my church memories are not great but to me the concept of Grace is spiritual in some way – but also grace is moments that happen that simply illuminate your road ahead …
The good and the bad May ? but grace to me is a positive thing. None of us are perfect and it’s grace that picks us up and as you say illuminates our path ahead.
Your seven days was a nice idea, May. It would be fun to stroll about looking at architecture and headstones with you. I think the not being able to plan is the worst.
This was enlightening May – a different outlook and way of looking at things. I think we can all give that to each other. I am glad you feel in touch with what you call ‘grace’ and let it guide you, I hope it serves you well.
I’ve been to the graveyard there, almost five years ago now and I remember having a similar impression like you. A lot of people I’ve spoken to just see it as a graveyard, but I liked walking around it. It made me feel something. Your feelings in this entry are coming through very strongly. It feels a bit like melancholy and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that feeling in these times. Thank you for starting this project. It’s helped me and means something, as I’m sure it does to the others
It is an amazing place ML I go there everyday now and will do a post with images. It has been a real pleasure working with you and I know we will again x
How serene that sounds, I too love graveyards. There is something about them that grounds me, reminds me I am but a small piece in time and to live each day to the full.
Thank you for asking me to be a part of the project, I’m sure it will be wonderful when it is completed, and I can’t wait to read it all.
You are so right – it feels like that – we are a small piece of time and as i say at the end of my post – higher things than us exist in the world.
It has been a joy to have you working on this Sweet – u are a wonderful woman! x
This is a great project! I don’t have much trouble being isolated. We are a household of introverts, and we do well with our routines. I can work from home, too. My husband is a first responder, and as such is out of the house daily. We have little with others, but things are slowly starting to lift here. I go to work on occasion, we have families we trust and we let our boys hang out together. We are no longer in complete lock down here. It’s hard to say if this will stick, but we are slowly getting back to life. We didn’t have very many cases in our area, and our county is on it when it comes to regulations, so I feel pretty confident in the way our community is handling it. It’s hard to keep the big city folk from coming out to camp and hike. We’ve even had a few restaurants refuse to serve anyone who wasn’t a local. These are weird times, for sure.
Thanks for your comment Brigit – these are weird times indeed and I think attitudes will change to various things because of what we have all been thru – not to mention the devastation to the economy x
There indeed is something about graveyards, walking around there and looking at the gravestones, the dates, and imagining the lives the people have had. It makes you realize that we should live every day to the fullest, because we never know when it will be our turn.
This is a great project you have set up, May, and I look forward to see how the book turns out.
Rebel xox
Take care of yourself May.
I love to walk around graveyards too. I find them peaceful and serene. But also places with stories to be told.
This has been interesting—this project. I have thought about my days at the start of April as each of you has written your piece. But why are you not at home? I would be doing so much more poorly if I were away from my Queen. Facing this together is how we do things.
Not knowing about your accident, I’m glad it wasn’t the disaster it could have been. Stay well!
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts here. It has been a really interesting project and one I am glad to have been able to take part in. I looked forward to reading the completed product ?
Been great working with you Missy – as always x
Welcome ?
“only by grace” are echos from my upbringing
Are they bad echos or good Mr S? As a lot of my church memories are not great but to me the concept of Grace is spiritual in some way – but also grace is moments that happen that simply illuminate your road ahead …
The good and the bad May ? but grace to me is a positive thing. None of us are perfect and it’s grace that picks us up and as you say illuminates our path ahead.
Yes I agree – sometimes I don’t really think people take the time to feel grace though x
Your seven days was a nice idea, May. It would be fun to stroll about looking at architecture and headstones with you. I think the not being able to plan is the worst.
Yes i hit the nail on the head with that one. Thanks Elliott
I enjoyed walking thru the cemetery and seeing the monuments and headstones with you, May. Thank you for taking me along. Hi to Indigo and his Bro.
Thanks Elliott x
This was enlightening May – a different outlook and way of looking at things. I think we can all give that to each other. I am glad you feel in touch with what you call ‘grace’ and let it guide you, I hope it serves you well.
i think it is something that serves us all – sometimes we just dont know it is happening xx
I’ve been to the graveyard there, almost five years ago now and I remember having a similar impression like you. A lot of people I’ve spoken to just see it as a graveyard, but I liked walking around it. It made me feel something. Your feelings in this entry are coming through very strongly. It feels a bit like melancholy and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that feeling in these times. Thank you for starting this project. It’s helped me and means something, as I’m sure it does to the others
It is an amazing place ML I go there everyday now and will do a post with images. It has been a real pleasure working with you and I know we will again x
That’d be nice. Would love to see it again, from a distance, right now.
And yes, we will! x
How serene that sounds, I too love graveyards. There is something about them that grounds me, reminds me I am but a small piece in time and to live each day to the full.
Thank you for asking me to be a part of the project, I’m sure it will be wonderful when it is completed, and I can’t wait to read it all.
Do take care
Sweetgirl x
You are so right – it feels like that – we are a small piece of time and as i say at the end of my post – higher things than us exist in the world.
It has been a joy to have you working on this Sweet – u are a wonderful woman! x
Thank you ?
I totally get that ‘piece in time’ feeling – I’ve had that in graveyards and churches too.