Interruptions

Today ends week 1 of home prison... Week 1 of 5, for now. It's been crazy. Day after day, it's bad news after bad news. The lockdown rules get stricter, the numbers are still rising, HCW are dying, borders closing... Our home has been both M's office and E's school. The first 2 days seemed fun. I kept joking that M must be enjoying working at home with lunch, teabreak provided, a nice balcony where he can take breaks and do his gardening, a bed to take short naps with etc.

Little did i know, he was getting frustrated being enclosed in the dark guest room (to hide from E) and no colleagues to talk to. I was also getting really tired and frustrated dealing with E the whole day long, his incessant requests to go downstairs and play, on top of having less me time (to catch up with study and reflect). The bad news also continues, Qatar cancels my MIL's trip next month, my exams are going to be postponed... So by Friday, everyone was tensed and snappy. E lost my highlighter pen cover and that small thing sent me into a torrent of tears (like the straw that broke the camel's back). Cabin fever is so real!!! 😱 That afternoon, M sat me down and we talked about this and decided that in this new normal, we need to be more mindful of each other's feelings and endeavor to love better.

I found encouragement in this quote by C.S Lewis "The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own', or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life- the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination."

Indeed, Prov 19:21 puts this craziness into perspective "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Now, i don't know when we can go back to normal, if and when we will even get a chance to go back to SG like we planned. However, i pray i may trust the Lord's heart and unfailing love. This is season for faith to grow.

What the virus did...

Awhile ago, i had many people telling me how lucky i was to be in Switzerland during the Coronavirus outbreak in SG... Now, the tables have turned... We are far from home, in a place where the upper management of the pandemic is questionable. This week, i was hit again and again with little waves of panic and fear. Many mummy friends texting me, each one slowly withdrawing their kids from school, panic buying, talking of returning home and leaving their spouses behind... It felt like one of those zombie apocalypse. I found myself distracted with the same worries and fears. I was worried we did not have masks or sanitizers, worried about racialism, etc.. I was even thinking about buying a second freezer to stock up food. This time, i really had to strengthen myself in the Lord!!

One of my devotional readings this week talked about Zechariah and Elizabeth. What really encouraged me was this, "When we pray, God hears more than we say, answers more than we ask, gives more than we imagine - in His own time and way." I need to pray with ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). It may be a good thing i have no sanitizer or extra fridge, then i won't rely on it to keep me safe. Now, i only have God.

Last weekend we took off on a short trip for the weekend to tick of one of our "to-do travelling" list. The virus had reached here but we went ahead anyways because we had already booked our stay and train tickets etc. God has been so good in keeping us safe. We had so much fun, made memories together and got back in a piece. Few days after we returned, the attractions we went to all closed down due to the pandemic. We may not be able to finish our list due to the pandemic. However, this latest trip will remain a testimony of God's grace to me. 🌈