As we take tentative steps out of lockdown into a gentler set of restrictions, and wait nervously to discover if the dreaded second wave is coming, I’ve been thinking back over the last 4 months. To say it’s been a strange time would be an understatement. But it’s not been an awful time.
I’ve been so thankful not to have lost anyone close to me, or even to have anyone I know well experience any severe symptoms (yet). I’ve been thankful my husband and I kept our jobs and so we’ve not had to worry about making the next mortgage payment. I’ve been thankful to be able to get food deliveries and to be able to order online almost everything we’ve needed. I’ve been thankful that my children have kept me entertained and busy, if somewhat tired. But most of all I’ve been thankful to have some wonderful people in my life. My lockdown heroes.
I know there are many people, the NHS and other key workers for example, who have been heroes to us all in what they have given to get us through to this point. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Today however I’m thinking about my personal heroes. These are the people who have helped me through to this point. They’re the people who have been there for me and my family throughout lockdown. I’m sure you each could name some personal heroes too. Here are a few acts of kindness from my lockdown heroes…
Early on, while we were shielding, friends brought little care packages and gifts. Baked goods or hand sewn toys for the kids, letters with kind words or chats through the window. They sent messages and checked in to make sure we were doing OK. Those people helped me to feel that lockdown wasn’t going to be too lonely after all.
Then there are my in-laws. I’m forever grateful that they live so close to us, and during lockdown it’s been even more helpful. They picked up prescriptions, collected food when our food shop was missing things and generally checked we had what we needed at home. And lately they’ve been there to hold our hands (figuratively) as we ventured out of time of shielding and slowly took little steps, one at a time, into this current “normal”. They let us take things at our own pace and helped us reintegrate. I can’t underestimate how useful that has been. After nearly 3 months without leaving our house and garden it was a little scary to start going out again, but they have been there throughout the process, making it a little less scary.
And my parents have been heroes too. They’ve had their own shielding to do, and they don’t exactly live nearby, but they’ve done more than their fair share of remote childcare. They’ve baked, read books, acted out stories and generally been there whenever we’ve asked. All over the internet of course, but it’s still been a welcome change to have someone else take over and entertain the toddler for a bit! My son is always so excited when I tell him we can call Grandma and Grandpa on Skype. They’ve also posted books from my childhood to top up our toddler’s library.
Our church has also looked after us. We stopped going to a house group when our son was born, and never quite found the time to start up again. When lockdown started, those of us in the congregation who didn’t attend a house group were invited to join existing groups. One very wonderful friend invited us to join his group, via Zoom of course, and it’s been an amazing experience. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it over the past few years. One particular member of our group, who also joined after lockdown started, has a habit of coming out with simple, easy to understand but also massively insightful comments that then go on to shape my week. One such comment was his advice on finding God in the every day. Rather than looking for big things, he suggested looking for breadcrumbs – small things that remind us that God is in every moment of every day with us. Looking for those breadcrumbs has become my lockdown habit and it has really refreshed my faith. In the good, the bad or the mundane I’ve managed to find God, every day. I shall always be grateful for that advice!
And lastly, I want to tell you about a very close friend. She’s one of those friends who is always there when you need her, no matter the distance or length of time since our last catch up. She suggested we have a video call one day, so we could at least see each other remotely, since we’d had a pub lunch in the diary that got rudely postponed by Covid. Since then we’ve spoken almost every week. She gives up her lunch hour, her one hour in the day when she could be not looking at a screen, just to talk to me. She happily moves our call, often at very short notice, when life with small kids means plans have to change. She listens, she encourages, she distracts, she makes me laugh… And she always books it in again for the following week. Occasionally she’s the only non-family member I speak to in a week. More than anyone outside of my house, this amazing person has got me through lockdown. It’s so easy to dive into life at home and forget all about the rest of the world, to become a mum and nothing else. My friend has kept me sane and she’s kept me smiling.
So there you have it, a few stories of my lockdown heroes. I’d love to hear about your lockdown heroes, or how you’ve been putting on your superhero cape and looking after others. And to those of you who’ve been so wonderfully good to me and mine, thank you!