lds family

How to Teach Children about Masks and COVID-19

by

Let’s talk masks!

Back in April of 2020, when the world began to panic, everything was shutting down. Toilet paper was a thing of the past and you could buy a single mask for $50 on the black market because no one could find any in stock. Well, back then I was lucky. I already had a box of Walgreen masks stored away with my first aid and medical equipment. Somehow, that box migrated to my mini van where it sat upfront by the driver’s seat. I’m not even sure how it got there, and I honestly remember thinking multiple times, “I need to bring that back into the house.” But I didn’t.

And it got STOLEN!

Yes. Someone stole my box of masks right out of my van. Nothing else of value was taken, just my super cute (but cheap) sunglasses. But honestly, there is a possibility I may find those sunglasses lost under a bed in my house and they were never really stolen.

The masks, however, were stolen. I like to think of some poor, desperate person walking past my soccer mom mini van and spotting the box of masks. Surely the situation they were in made the temptation too great. Surely they needed those masks more than me…

But I’m married to a cop, and the cynical side of me also sees those masks being sold off one at a time on the internet for a fortune.

Anyway, back then we didn’t know how long this pandemic would last. Fast forward a few months and you can buy masks easily at your favorite shopping venue: Walmart, Old Navy, Target, Amazon… masks are everywhere! They are required at school, restaurants, stores, even some cities have mandated masks.

Last Saturday morning while driving to work, my mind began to wander. The roads were clear and the world seemed peaceful, even though life hasn’t felt peaceful in quite some time. I began to wonder if I would be assigned to another COVID-19 patient to care for that day at the pediatric hospital where I work.

As I drove, I also wondered about the long term psychological effect of COVID-19 on children. With mandatory masks at school and the scary element of an unknown “sickness” they hear adults talk about; I like many of us, feared for their future. My eight-year-old nephew told his mom not too long ago that he was scared of masks. He was scared to wear one, and seeing people wear them scared him as well. I know my nephew isn’t alone in his fears. Many of us have asked, “what long term impact could this pandemic have on our little ones?”

If their is one thing my career has taught me, it’s the resilience of children. They really are remarkable when facing obstacles.

Several years ago I remember placing a nasogastric tube on a girl who was about 8 years old. A nasogastric tube is a tube inserted through the nose that goes all the way down the throat and into the stomach. Unfortunately the first attempt was unsuccessful and I had to torture her a second time, in order to get the tube placed. She cried and fought and I thought for sure I would be placed on the top of her hit list. I grabbed a teddy bear to give her as a prize for being brave, and when I came back to the room and handed it to her she smiled and asked me, “What’s your name again?” I responded telling her that my name is Elizabeth, and without hesitation she said, “Then I’m going to name this teddy bear Elizabeth!” She then told me I was one of her favorite nurses that had cared for her.

I don’t have all the answers on how our children will be effected, but I have hope that our children will emerge from this pandemic just fine. Maybe even stronger than before. But as parents, it is up to us to help them through it.

That morning in the car, I began to concoct a family lesson on how to teach my children about COVID-19 and why we are wearing masks. I wanted my children to start school understanding the “why’s” behind it and help them through any fear they may be feeling because of COVID-19.

The lesson exceeded my expectations! My girls giggled and laughed throughout the lesson, but they also expressed fear I hadn’t known was there related to the pandemic. I was surprised by the insightful questions they had. I loved how they were able to grasp the concept of COVID-19 and masks. The lesson went so well I thought I’d share it with all of you!

Below is my lesson plan on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19. It is geared toward elementary aged children, but even my three and a half year old did great with this lesson! Some of the discussions can be adapted for older kids. The lesson is made up of two object lessons with accompanying talking points. A printer friendly copy of the outline along with the printable picture cards are free!

Enjoy!

Lesson Plan: How to Teach Children about Masks and COVID-19

Printable Lesson OutlineDownload
Printable Picture CardsDownload

Objectives:

  • Teach children the purpose of wearing masks
  • Help children feel comfortable with masks
  • Dispel any fear that may be associated with masks
  • Help children understand how masks work

What you will need:

  • One mask for each family member
  • Spray bottle filled with water (set on spray and not stream)
  • Printable Picture Cards (see printable- you can print them, or show them off of the computer screen)
  • Small prize or treat (optional)

Introduction:

Explain that you will be practicing wearing masks during the lesson and ask each family member to put their mask on.

Optional: Tell the children that whoever keeps their mask on for the entire lesson will earn a small prize or treat.

Note: If any child has fear or anxiety associated with masks, do not force it. Have them hold their mask instead.

Discussion:

  • Why do we wear masks?
    • Listen to the children’s answers and help expand on their answers.

Note: Do not just say “because of the sickness”. Teach the children that the sickness is called COVID-19. Giving the illness a name will help children understand the “unknown” and help them realize that all sickness isn’t bad.

  • Explain that there are many different kinds of sicknesses we can catch that are different from COVID-19.
    • Ask the children if they remember a time they were sick in the past. Discuss how they felt (sore throat, stuffy nose, stomach ache, throwing up, etc.)
    • Explain that getting sick is not fun, but our bodies actually can become stronger by making it easier to fight off another sickness in the future. (for older children you can talk about our immune system).
    • What makes COVID-19 different than other sicknesses?
      • COVID-19 is making some people more sick than usual.
      • For younger children, telling them that it’s making people sicker may be all they need to hear. Below discusses going into more detail if needed.

Object Lesson #1: People often wear gear to protect themselves

Show the different Printable Picture Cards (free) one at a time. With each image, ask the children what the people are wearing to protect their bodies in each particular sport.

  • Answers:
    • Soccer= Shin guards
    • Football= Helmet, shoulder pads, thigh pads, neck collar, mouth guard
    • Biking: Helmet
    • Rollerblading: Knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmet

Talking points:

  • Just like in these pictures of people wearing special equipment to protect their bodies, we are wearing masks when we go places to protect our bodies from COVID-19.
  • The amazing thing about wearing a mask is that it doesn’t just protect our own bodies, but we are protecting other people around us from getting COVID-19 as well. We can help stop the spread of COVID-19!
  • COVID-19 is spread when someone who has it coughs or sneezes. Tiny droplets come out of their mouths and noses. These droplets have germs that can get others sick. (Pretend to cough, as you do so, spray the bottle simultaneously by your mouth facing outward like all the droplets came out of you. Explain that when people cough the droplets and germs are even smaller so we can’t see them).
  • When the person who is sick wears a mask, those droplets get trapped inside their mask.
  • What if the sick person doesn’t wear a mask?

Answer: That’s why we all wear masks! If you are wearing a mask, then the droplets get trapped on the outside of your mask so you don’t breathe in the germs.

  • If everyone is wearing a mask then it is like double protection.
  • If you have members in your family that are at an increased risk for complications from COVID-19, add this to the discussion.

Note: Many children may express fear while discussing this. Let them talk about these fears. Reassure the children that if they wash their hands and wear their masks that they are protecting themselves and their family. Discuss how as a family you will do the best you can, but if your family ends up getting COVID-19, that you are a team and will get through it together.

You know your children and how much detail you can add to this discussion. Some children will be comfortable talking about how COVID-19 is hospitalizing some individuals and that some people have even passed away and returned to heaven because of it. For other children, that will be too much detail. Listen to your children’s concerns and let them guide the discussion.

Studies have shown that most children have mild to no symptoms; it’s okay to reassure your children with this information if needed.

Object Lesson #2: Droplets and germs, spray bottle fun!

Stand a few feet away from a child and spray their arm or any other bare spot on their body. Talk about how they got wet (and expect lots of giggles!)

Question: What If I sprayed you over your shirt, will you get wet?

  • Spray the child’s shirt (note: the shirt will get wet, but have them lift their shirt to discover that their body stayed dry). Discuss with the children that this is how masks work.
  • For children who are afraid of the mask, ask them to put it over a place on their body so you can spray it to see if it keeps them dry.
  • Have fun with this! Let each child have a turn getting sprayed.

Talking points:

  • Mask care: Now that the children have the visual of how masks work, it will make sense that there is a clean side that their face touches and a dirty side that faces outward. You can talk about folding their mask with the clean side inward when they are eating lunch at school and keeping the mask off the floor.
  • COVID-19 can also be spread by touching areas that have the germs.

Question: What if someone with COVID-19 wiped their nose with their hand and then touched the table (Kids do well with visuals so pull down your mask and pretend to do this). You can also pretend to cough and spray a piece of furniture with the spray bottle).

Explain that we touch things all day (especially at school) and we don’t need to be afraid of touching things and getting sick, we just need to remember to sanitize and/or wash our hands.

  • For older children:
    • Wearing a mask is part of being a good citizen. If you have no high-risk individuals in your family, you can explain that if your family got sick you would most likely be okay, but there is a possibility that you could spread it to someone who might get really sick from it. You can use the domino effect as an example. Explain that if they wear a mask, they are like the one domino out of the row that can stop the spread of the disease.
My kids LOVED this. They even wanted me to spray them in the face to see if the mask kept their mouth dry. Haha!

Note: Remember to let the kids ask questions and involve them in the discussion. The point of this lesson is to have fun and make COVID-19 less scary by understanding how the disease is spread and why we wear masks and keep our hands clean.

As the adult, keep your mood light hearted. If the child senses any strain or anxiety that you are having over the situation, then they are likely to feed off your stress as well.

*If you promised a small prize or treat for keeping masks on, remember to pass these out.

I hope your kids have fun with this lesson on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19! Please comment and let me know how your lesson went with your family.

Printable Lesson OutlineDownload
Printable Picture CardsDownload

Remember:

There is power in information, even for children

Need more resources to help answer children’s questions about COVID-19 and masks? Check out these websites:

The CDC has great information on how to talk to children about COVID-19: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

More information about children and masks is available from the World Health Organization: World Health Organization

Did you enjoy this post on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19? Please share it and spread the word!

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the links below and follow us!

Unexpectedly Perfect on Facebook

Unexpectedly Perfect on Instagram

Prepare or Protect? Raising Spiritually Resilient Children

by

I have no clue what to do the majority of the time as a parent. Seriously, I feel completely inadequate. My overall goal is to raise my children to faithful, happy, functioning, contributing adults. I pray every day, that they might turn out to be good people, with a testimony of our Savoir. The world, however, seems to have other plans.

When our kids are little it is pretty easy to protect them from the harsh reality of the world. As they grow older it is nearly impossible. While raising my kids, I’ve always wanted to protect my children’s innocence as long as possible. Let them be kids while they can be kids! But as my oldest entered the tween years, it became clear that this was a very gray area and not as black and white as I first had assumed. I realized the more I protected her, the less prepared she would be for reality. If I didn’t speak up and teach her, then she would hear things from other kids, that I’d rather her hear from me.

I started asking myself, is it right to continue protecting her when she is obviously ready to start growing up? I wanted her to keep her childhood innocence- which was more of a selfish act for me, and not in her best interest.

Physically and emotionally protecting our children

From the moment these precious children enter our lives, our parenting instincts take over, much like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Protecting them is ingrained in us, and yet often times our over protection can be detrimental.

“We think we need to protect our children. And the answer to that is yes, of course, from starvation and moving cars and juggling chainsaws. There are things that are legitimately dangerous. But we are not there to protect them from any discomfort or any pain or any sadness. What we need to do is not protect but prepare.”

Steve Baskin, A Manifesto to Strength: Raising Anti-Fragile Kids

Experts agree that for children to grow into resilient adults, we must allow them to experience life. Pain, sadness, and failure are all vital experiences, because they teach endurance, hard work, and self motivation. As parents, we know these things and yet we are naturally prone to feeling the need to take away our children’s suffering.

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

“One of the things I began to see early on was over-parenting, first the helicopter parenting and then the snowplow or lawnmower parenting. One is watching your child’s emotion and then trying to manage your child’s experience and prepare the road for your child, instead of your child for the road…”

Steve Baskin, A Manifesto to Strength: Raising Anti-Fragile Kids

I love this visual of a snow blower parent! Have you ever caught yourself doing it? What a sad thing to realize that by preparing the road for our child, we are actually causing more harm! If we are constantly clearing any hardship that confronts our children, they do not gain the resilient qualities needed to overcome these moments. When they leave our home and enter the word without us there, there is a good chance they could crumble.

“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”

Ann Landers

Spiritually protecting versus preparing

Now I would like to take what we know about preparing our children for life and relate it to preparing them spiritually. The number one way to PREPARE our children spiritually is obviously to give them exposure to the gospel! Teaching them to pray, going to church, reading the scriptures, and doing “Come Follow Me” in our homes… we know these are some of the basics to building a firm foundation (see When Foundations Fail).

Now, lets look at the PROTECT side of this. What are we doing that can hinder their spiritual growth? Are there things we want to protect and shelter our children from that could actually be keeping them from spiritual preparation?

When we let our children experience sadness, pain, and make mistakes, we know they will be more resilient as adults. The amazing thing is these same experiences also give opportunities to learn about faith and grow a testimony! When they have fear and sorrow, teach them to pray. When they fail or are in pain, teach them to search the scriptures for answers. These are vital experiences that will help our children find faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Some may ask, whats wrong with plowing the path to the tree of life for our children? Why can’t I mow a smooth course all the way there? In my mind this does paint a pretty picture, but in reality this is impossible. Even Lehi himself couldn’t do it! He stood at the tree of life, beckoning his children, he could not hold their hands along the way.

Are we raising our children to recognize the great and spacious building? Are they aware of the mist of darkness or strange and flattering roads that may lead them away? Sometimes we want to shield our children from seeing these things in the word, but if we don’t discuss them safely at home while they are growing up, how easy will it be for Satan to trick them when they are older?

Will our children’s testimony’s be ready when they leave our homes and experience the real world? When temptation strikes and we are no longer there to guide and direct, will our children falter and their faith plummet from the shock of what they are seeing?

“Today we are at war with Satan. We, like any army, need to know what the enemy is up to. Knowing when and where the enemy will attack, for instance, can be invaluable information. That’s why the term for acquiring such information is called “gathering intelligence.” To know our enemy is to become smarter than our enemy. The Book of Mormon can help us “gather intelligence” on Satan’s counterfeit methods.”

Dennis C. Gaunt, Recognizing Satan’s Counterfeits

How do we know what needs to be shared with our children?

As we faithfully pray and read the Book of Mormon, we will be led and guided to know how to prepare our children spiritually. I’ve experienced uncertainty multiple times, wondering how to teach my daughter about the world and Satan’s tactics. Each time I pray for help, an opportunity always arises that allows me to teach these tough subjects.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we can be referred to as a “peculiar people”. We don’t drink coffee, we stay away from harshly rated movies and other content that is deemed inappropriate. We abstain from sexual conduct until we are married. We even wear “weird underwear”. As we pray for guidance we will be able to teach our children that these things aren’t the norm world wide.

We don’t need to plop our children on Satan’s lap to give them exposure to his influences. They don’t need a first hand tour of everything worldly! They do, however, need to be aware of what is out there.

This puts us in a difficult situation over and over again while raising our children as we contemplate what information to share. Some things we choose to teach are age based, we wait until they are developmentally old enough to understand. No matter when we teach, what we decide to share is something between you and the Lord. Always seek His guidance. When we do this, we will be able to discern what actions to take, what to share, and when to share them.

Image by Jenny Friedrichs from Pixabay

Raising faithful children with a testimony in the gospel should never be confused with raising our children to be naive. President Lee, while speaking to the youth of the church, once said:

“We don’t pray that you may be withdrawn into a ‘Shangri-La’ away from the evils of the world, because you are to be a leaven wherever you are, to bring about righteousness, but we are pleading with the Lord with all our might that while you are in the world, you may be kept from evil.”

Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973], p. 223

If you aren’t familiar with Shangri-La, it’s a fictional place in the 1933 novel, Lost Horizon. It is a place of paradise , isolated from the world. We can’t send our children to Shangri-La to enjoy an innocent joyous life. They are meant to be here, “to bring about righteousness” where ever they may be in this world. It is our job, to prepare them for this.

Hiding the different lifestyles and views of the world doesn’t protect our children. Talking about how other people live and what they believe can actually give opportunity to discuss the diversity of God’s children and His love for all of them!

It is possible to teach our children that “we are in the world but not of the world”, and by doing so they will become spiritually resilient.

We are blessed with a brief period in which to prepare our children for the obstacles ahead. Hold their hands while they are young. Teach them. Let them experience sorrow. Let them understand what the world is like. Give them opportunities to act in faith. Then when they are grown, there is more than a good chance they will become faithful, happy, functioning, contributing adults. Adults with an unwavering testimony, strong enough to withstand any storm.

We can’t plow the path for our children, but we can prepare them so they can have a firm grip planted on the iron rod, with clear vision of the road ahead and possible obstacles that await them.

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the links below and follow us!

Unexpectedly Perfect on Facebook

Unexpectedly Perfect on Instagram

Inspiring Others Through Our Own Imperfections

by

Lets be imperfect together💪 People relate to real, they relate to honest imperfections. Inspire by just being you, not pretending to be more 🌹🥀

Some of my favorite talks in church are when people relate raw honest life. With four kids it can be hard to pay attention to sacrament talks. But when someone shares a story, some imperfections in their life, my ear automatically tunes in.

No one wants to be preached to. So many people shut down as soon as things get “preachy”. I’ve learned this the hard way with my oldest child. When we push our beliefs and desires upon another individual they tend to push back and put us at arms length.

They have their agency, and they will use it to shut out anything we have to say.

That’s why teaching with love is so important. This can only be done from drawing upon our own experiences and imperfections.

Empathy, compassion, love. When we are sincere our message resonates louder than any superficial attempt to do good.

Actions, as we all know, speak louder than words. When we focus on our own imperfections no words are needed to inspire. We need to look inward rather than outward.

Live a good life.

Stand strong.

Endure to the end.

Focus on improving yourself.

Learn from mistakes.

Lead by example.

I promise, people will notice. Through humility we will find how to reach others.

He is Always There

by

I know that our Savior loves us and is always there. Looking back at my most difficult trials it is very apparent that his hand was there helping me through and lifting me up. When we put our trust in the world, the world will always disappoint or come up lacking. When we put our trust in the Lord, He always shows up. With Him we can do anything. I believe this with my whole heart.

This is a simple message with few words. What else needs to be said?

Believe in Him.

Trust in Him.

Love Him.

Sometimes, simple messages are the most important ones.

I’d love to hear your testimony of the Savior, please share in the comments below. If you don’t have a testimony yet, I hope you have felt the spirit and can find comfort in this message.

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the link below and follow us on Facebook: Unexpectedly Perfect

I Want to be Happy Like a Little Kid!

by

My one year old waves and smiles to every stranger that passes by in the neighborhood.

Several of my children when they were about two or three would say “HI!” ridiculously loud to every single person at the grocery store.

Little kids seem to smile and assume everyone wants to be their friend. They have no hesitations to laugh and happily play or dance in public, no matter who is watching.

When did we, as adults, seem to lose this enthusiasm for life? How did the responsibilities, burdens, and trials take such a great toll? When did we start hesitating to greet perfect strangers with a smile and kind “hello”?

We often limit our own happiness by restricting ourselves. We put up boundaries in places there shouldn’t be. It is okay to sing our hearts out! It is okay to laugh! It is okay to dance around like a fool! This is why I love young children. They don’t care if people are watching. They are free and happiness just beams from them.

Jesus has said to “become as little children”

I’d like to quote one of my favorite scriptures from the bible about children:

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

New Testament, Matthew 18:1-4

Much can be said on the qualities of little children and why Jesus taught we need to be like them. When I ponder this scripture I always get lost in thinking of all the amazing attributes of little children. It is no wonder why He uses little children as an example to us. They are:

  • Humble
  • Quick to believe
  • Loyal
  • Happy
  • Resilient
  • Faithful
  • Quick to forgive
  • Self confident (They do not have pride, but they know they are special)
  • Loving
  • Teachable
  • They see the world with awe and wonder
  • The have eyes of innocence, they assume the best in others and from the world
  • Curious
  • Honest, painfully so sometimes

I could do whole posts on every one of these child like attributes and what we could learn from them. This time, I just want to focus on the happiness and joy that little children have.

Are little children happy all the time? Absolutely not! They scream, and cry, and throw huge temper tantrums. What I find remarkable, is that minutes after an outburst, they can be found giggling at something that tickles their funny bone, or in awe over a lady bug crawling on a flower. They don’t let the bad keep them from seeing the good! They easily cast off any burdens and are resilient!

Some days, however, there are outside factors keeping kids from being their normal resilient happy selves. Any one who has taken care of a tired toddler who hasn’t had enough sleep knows what I am talking about! It is important to recognize that even children have bad days, but once this outlying factor has been reconciled (a nap!) then the child ends up happy again.

How can we be happy like little children?

Children seek happiness out constantly. They want to laugh. They want to have fun! They choose to be happy. They have a natural instinct to seek it out and choose happiness without even realizing it.

Our adult minds are much more complicated. We fill our mind with work, our daily errands and are often too busy to seek out things that bring joy. It takes conscious effort to choose happiness, seek it out, or even recognize it, when it is right in front of us.

Just like cranky little ones who need sleep, what factors are keeping you from experiencing happiness? What outlying factors in your life do you need to let go of in order to experience more happiness? Part of being a grown up is having burdens we can’t ignore, but there are plenty of things we do have control over. It can be a lot more complicated than getting more sleep… actually, I take that back. I know I would be a much happier and less cranky with a little more sleep in my life! It could also be figuring out what to do about a toxic relationship with a friend, or unfollowing a social media account that often leaves unwanted feelings and thoughts.

On a daily basis, we need to find ways to fill our lives with things that bring happiness! I want to challenge you to live today with the eyes of a small child. Consciously make an effort to seek and choose happiness.

Laugh. Sing. Dance. Giggle uncontrollably. Live like it is heaven on earth. What would your life look like if you lived each day as if it were heaven on earth? Personally, I have no doubt that heaven will be filled with the unrestrained joy little children experience on a daily basis.

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the link below and follow us on Facebook: Unexpectedly Perfect

When Foundations Fail

by

Natural disasters are not subtle. They come sweeping in with an unpredictable fury leaving destruction, devastation, and chaos. That’s what I had always believed. Earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters have always had widespread coverage in the news. I was familiar with these stories so when the hairline cracks appeared in the foundation of my childhood home during the spring when I turned sixteen, I wasn’t worried.

The street I lived on, which bordered a hill had slight changes to it’s original positioning and several of our neighbors had been noticing minor cracks in their foundations and shifting on their land. “The land is probably just settling,” was a phrase I heard several times. Specialists, like the state project geologist came out and surveyed the land. They measured the cracks with special equipment and looked at the five homes on our street who were effected. At first they didn’t say much, so I assumed everything would be fine. 

I was wrong.

Those hair line cracks in the foundation, as subtle and inconspicuous as they appeared to be, started to separate at a rapid rate by late summer. One home after another was being condemned. The experts continued to monitor the land, but they couldn’t figure out what was causing the ground underneath us to shift. When our house was condemned, we were given 24 hours to evacuate.

About a week after we moved, a 10 foot drop separated the front of our foundation from the back of the foundation. The only home I had ever known was gone. 

Here is my 15 minutes of fame! Front page of the newspaper sporting my pretty awesome overalls and carrying our cat, Mitzi out the back door of our home.

Almost two decades later and I can still remember packing up my house in a fit of adrenaline during the day. Into the silent night hours I worked with my parents. Boxes upon boxes left our house of things that you accumulate over a lifetime. We didn’t have much time to sort and since we had no where to go, most things got packed away and sent to a storage shed.

That was the first time I had ever stayed awake for two days straight, but I didn’t even feel tired. It was surreal. I packed fervently which kept my mind busy. I didn’t have time to think or let the emotions of what was happening impact me. The house creaked and groaned around us, as it was literally being ripped apart. I still remember the sound of my dad cutting the bolts that secured the back of the house to the foundation, to give us more time. 

We were going to loose everything. The insurance company claimed the landslide to be, “an act of God” and said it wasn’t covered.

I emptied drawers.

I boxed up closets. 

I cleaned out cabinets. 

I hugged neighbors and childhood friends goodbye. 

I packed up my bedroom. 

I carried Mitzi from our home and hid her in the hotel we lived in for two weeks (what else could we do with a cat who also lost her home?)

I signed my name to a baseboard in my bedroom. 

And I said goodbye to my home.

Our house was small and modest with a little carport and three big windows in the front that looked into my bedroom. From the outside it probably didn’t seem like much, but it wasn’t just a house. It was my home, a place where I could climb into my favorite tree for sanctuary in my backyard. A place that had the best Little Mermaid rock in the world. It had the bedroom I had shared with my sister where we played Malarky and Hu-watch-ee-foo, and did Christmas concerts with our stuffed animals. Sure, we had gotten older and I finally had the room to myself when my sister left for college. Life wasn’t perfect, but it was all I knew and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.

But I had to.  

The back wall of the foundation completely dropped and the front of the foundation stayed in place. See the top of the door opening in the back wall? That’s the door I was walking out of where the newspaper picture was taken.

Disasters in life

Everyone in life has disasters. Some are obvious and come rampaging in and the devastation that happens is very apparent to an outsiders point of view. I had always thought of a landslide this way, where tons of rocks, mud, and water come rushing down a hill crushing and engulfing anything in it’s path. This I learned isn’t always the case. Disasters can also be subtle, but just as devastating. I’m sure we can all relate to the current situation of a worldwide pandemic. This trial started with news stories of a virus in far away countries that ended up creeping it’s way to our very own doorstep.

At sixteen years old, my life had been turned upside down. I started my junior year of high school living in a hotel. The American Red Cross paid for the hotel to help my parents get on their feet and until we found an apartment to rent. 

My parents took this time to evaluate more than just our living situation. After two weeks of living in the hotel they found an apartment, and soon after they told my sister and I they were going to get a divorce. This is when all the emotions I had held at bay swept in. Was it a surprise they wanted a divorce? Absolutely not. My parent’s rocky relationship was a known fact, it was more a matter of when things would end rather than if. Even though I knew it would eventually happen, it didn’t change the finality of it.

The only world I had ever known was literally crumbling in front of me. My home was gone, and my dad wouldn’t be living with us. It was all gone. Any illusion of my former life had been uprooted and destroyed. 

Whether the disasters we face come rampaging in or come at us slowly and unassuming, how do we survive these events without crumbling?

Building Our Foundation

For several years after the landslide one question kept resurfacing in my mind:

How had our families foundation been as faulty as the foundation we built our home on? I’m talking about the personal stuff that went on within the walls of my childhood home.

So I ask you now: how is your foundation? How is the foundation of your family? Is it where you want it to be?

What if I told you that there was a different house on our very same lot that had been deemed unstable and was moved away before my parents built our house? As crazy as that sounds, it is true! The foundation of the old home was ripped from the ground and the land put up for auction. My parents were reassured that as long as they built the house further up on the lot and closer to the road they would not have a problem.

I’ve noticed far too often the heart breaking scene of people shaping their lives with faulty foundations. Foundations that have already been proven that they cannot hold and will collapse. People lost and suffering due to drug addiction, pornography, and other such things are all around us. We all have known someone in these circumstances, whether it be a friend or a loved one. Or perhaps it is you that finds yourself in a place in which you feel lost and desperate. These devices are tools Satan uses to weaken our foundations. Feeling hopeless is exactly what the adversary wants, but it’s a lie.

It is never too late to start strengthening our foundations. It doesn’t matter if you are in a good place now, or in the depths of despair. We only need to start with a prayer. It’s that simple.

Christ loves us and he will come swiftly to our aid and fill any cracks that threaten our foundation.

What hairline cracks are compromising your foundation? Your families foundation? You might notice small ones that have a simple fix. Others might be overwhelming to try to take on any sort of solution right now. But I urge you to start patching one crack at a time, focus on what you can do. The reality is that we can’t do it alone, and that is okay! With faith, our Savoir can patch any foundation that is lacking.

I urge us all to find those hairline cracks in our foundations. They can be so unassuming, barely worth a second thought. The reality, however, is they could end up tearing us apart. Satan knows our weaknesses, he sees where our foundation is failing. We need to prepare for the day when he intends to exploit those weaknesses. With a firm foundation, we cannot fall!

The storms and whirlwinds that plague us may come from choices we have made or from outside forces that are not in our control. In the end though, it doesn’t matter because the answer is the same. Christ.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

Matthew 7:25

All those years ago I decided not to crumble. I decided to hold my head up and overcome. I had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. At times I barely felt like I was surviving, while other times I found peace and eventually joy! It is possible to find happiness, no matter how hard the rain is beating us down or what disaster we may face. You may not find it immediately, but don’t give up. This does not mean ignoring your sorrow and pain, (see Letting Ourselves Grieve) but finding hope and the Saviors light in the dark is always possible. He can ease our burdens and lighten the unbearable load we carry… if we let him. We must choose to focus on Christ and not the storm raging around us. When it seems as though our foundation is slipping out beneath us, turn to Christ. He will lift us when we need it the most.

Did you enjoy this post? Please share it and spread the word.

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the links below and follow us!

Unexpectedly Perfect on Facebook

Unexpectedly Perfect on Instagram