mirkwood
06-05-2009, 11:56 PM
H1N1 Flu ? Some Good News, and a Warning (http://www.meridianmagazine.com/emergency/090504pandemic2.html)
By Carolyn Nicolaysen
Blessings Came From Swine Flu Scare
Living in Mexico City during the Swine Flu epidemic, I found blessings in the scare. I wrote the following thoughts and wanted to share. Perhaps you will find it worth sharing, perhaps not.
My husband is a physician with the State Department and we'd been living in Mexico City for about 18 months when we received word that schools would be closed due to the flu. Of course the kids were overjoyed and, I admit, I was a bit relieved not to have to drive to early morning seminary. My husband was out of town on a business trip that first Friday and I was home alone with our five children. I really didn't know much about the flu, but my children kept in touch with their friends constantly IM'ing and kept me up to date on the latest. There were several deaths, it was an epidemic. What was this flu? I had received many phone calls throughout the day from neighbors and ward members asking me if it was safe to go out, should their church still hold their choir concert, etc. My friend asking about the choir concert decided to hold the concert stating happily, ?God will protect us.? I heard a scripture enter my mind, ?Faith without works is dead? and then the thought, ?How can I protect you, if you don't do your part?? I knew nothing about this mysterious illness, but the panic began to swell as I realized this was a more serious thing than I had first envisioned.
I received a call from the head of the embassy clinic and my husband's co-worker wondering when my husband would return home. I began asking questions trying to understand what this new flu was. I asked her if I should attend our church conference the next evening, and she confided as a friend that she would not attend. I began to make preparations to stay home from Stake Conference that weekend, and when my husband called just before leaving his conference, he confirmed, from what he knew, that this was a wise decision. Saturday morning I realized we were almost out of milk and made a mad dash to the store to stock up on things we may need over an extended period of time. We were planning an international move in a few weeks and had been eating down our supply of food, as we had a very limited weight allowance for the move.
On Sunday my husband arrived home in the evening and a peace came over me just knowing that our family was joined together again. Monday we received word that the schools would be closed for another week and a half. Again the kids were overjoyed, but soon found that the teachers knew how to use the internet and they were loaded with schoolwork. I continued to receive word of this newly named "Swine Flu" from my husband. While ultimately it was a relatively benign epidemic, it offered a myriad of lessons for this Mom.
Over the more than two weeks the children were out of school, we spent nearly all of that time in our home as most public places were closed down. About the only time we ventured out was the occasional trip to the store. I had a peace and calm come over me as I realized what a blessing the H1N1 Flu really was to us. We always talk of being prepared, but how prepared are we? I was so grateful for electricity because without it my children would not have received their school assignments that kept them busy most of the time. I wondered, if this had been an earthquake, what would I have done with my children? I realized I wasn't prepared to entertain them in a disaster. While we lived in the United States we had a hearty food storage, but now with the State Department and constant moving ,we were forced to dissolve ourselves of all but one lone 50 lb. bag of wheat, which was nearly gone. I realized how much we depend on the grocery store now. This was very evident as there was talk, for a time, of closing all public transportation, which in effect would have closed down all businesses, as most people would not have been able to get to work.
As the H1N1 Flu scare is winding down, I am so grateful for the blessing of having a "dry run" to see how prepared we really are and where we are lacking. What a blessing to find our weaknesses and make them strengths before the disaster is really more serious. What a blessing to have a prophet on the earth to be a mouthpiece for the Lord. What a blessing to have the scriptures that tell us what we need to be prepared for and to be a source of strength and peace in a time of turmoil and confusion.
While the H1N1 Flu turned out not to be as serious as first expected, it was great for something and truly a blessing from heaven.
-Anonymous
By Carolyn Nicolaysen
Blessings Came From Swine Flu Scare
Living in Mexico City during the Swine Flu epidemic, I found blessings in the scare. I wrote the following thoughts and wanted to share. Perhaps you will find it worth sharing, perhaps not.
My husband is a physician with the State Department and we'd been living in Mexico City for about 18 months when we received word that schools would be closed due to the flu. Of course the kids were overjoyed and, I admit, I was a bit relieved not to have to drive to early morning seminary. My husband was out of town on a business trip that first Friday and I was home alone with our five children. I really didn't know much about the flu, but my children kept in touch with their friends constantly IM'ing and kept me up to date on the latest. There were several deaths, it was an epidemic. What was this flu? I had received many phone calls throughout the day from neighbors and ward members asking me if it was safe to go out, should their church still hold their choir concert, etc. My friend asking about the choir concert decided to hold the concert stating happily, ?God will protect us.? I heard a scripture enter my mind, ?Faith without works is dead? and then the thought, ?How can I protect you, if you don't do your part?? I knew nothing about this mysterious illness, but the panic began to swell as I realized this was a more serious thing than I had first envisioned.
I received a call from the head of the embassy clinic and my husband's co-worker wondering when my husband would return home. I began asking questions trying to understand what this new flu was. I asked her if I should attend our church conference the next evening, and she confided as a friend that she would not attend. I began to make preparations to stay home from Stake Conference that weekend, and when my husband called just before leaving his conference, he confirmed, from what he knew, that this was a wise decision. Saturday morning I realized we were almost out of milk and made a mad dash to the store to stock up on things we may need over an extended period of time. We were planning an international move in a few weeks and had been eating down our supply of food, as we had a very limited weight allowance for the move.
On Sunday my husband arrived home in the evening and a peace came over me just knowing that our family was joined together again. Monday we received word that the schools would be closed for another week and a half. Again the kids were overjoyed, but soon found that the teachers knew how to use the internet and they were loaded with schoolwork. I continued to receive word of this newly named "Swine Flu" from my husband. While ultimately it was a relatively benign epidemic, it offered a myriad of lessons for this Mom.
Over the more than two weeks the children were out of school, we spent nearly all of that time in our home as most public places were closed down. About the only time we ventured out was the occasional trip to the store. I had a peace and calm come over me as I realized what a blessing the H1N1 Flu really was to us. We always talk of being prepared, but how prepared are we? I was so grateful for electricity because without it my children would not have received their school assignments that kept them busy most of the time. I wondered, if this had been an earthquake, what would I have done with my children? I realized I wasn't prepared to entertain them in a disaster. While we lived in the United States we had a hearty food storage, but now with the State Department and constant moving ,we were forced to dissolve ourselves of all but one lone 50 lb. bag of wheat, which was nearly gone. I realized how much we depend on the grocery store now. This was very evident as there was talk, for a time, of closing all public transportation, which in effect would have closed down all businesses, as most people would not have been able to get to work.
As the H1N1 Flu scare is winding down, I am so grateful for the blessing of having a "dry run" to see how prepared we really are and where we are lacking. What a blessing to find our weaknesses and make them strengths before the disaster is really more serious. What a blessing to have a prophet on the earth to be a mouthpiece for the Lord. What a blessing to have the scriptures that tell us what we need to be prepared for and to be a source of strength and peace in a time of turmoil and confusion.
While the H1N1 Flu turned out not to be as serious as first expected, it was great for something and truly a blessing from heaven.
-Anonymous