On the 12th Day of COVID . . .

There was a great surprise.

12 rolls of toilet paper
11 ounce of Clorox
10 mandarin oranges
9 ripe bananas
8 ounce of cheese
7 cans of soup
6 slice of bacon
5 rows of Oreos
4 cubes of butter
3 macaroni
2 chips and salsa
and a loaf of Grandma Sycamore's white bread!

I took some liberty to make that little song work. 

But seriously. This is the third time in 4 years that we've received such an abundance on our doorstep, but this time the good elves revealed themselves. People are so good. Especially the people at Beehive Wireless whom Erik works for. They take such good care of him. He worked for them the summer before his mission and he impressed them so much then that they immediately hired him back. 

Erik joined the COVID club and Beehive wanted to make sure he was taken care of EVEN THOUGH he lives with his parents who are pretty capable people. We put Erik and Ash (she had a slight fever) in isolation for a week until tests came back. Tyler, Alex, and Ash negative. Erik positive. I opted out since I had no symptoms and it had been 9 days since Erik's exposure when they all decided to test.

His symptoms were a mild cold.

Satan sure unleashed a good one this year. The "last days" always conjured up images of war and fires and earthquakes and drought . . . Okay that pretty much sums up this year if you consider civil unrest and rioting as a form of war. However, I never imagined something so small could take down an entire planet. I never dreamed I would be wearing a mask and hiding from people. I never imagined the backlash among friends and neighbors that could come over "to wear a mask or not to wear a mask."

If Satan's intentions were to create division, he's sure done a pretty good job. Even within my own home this past week it's been pretty divisive and ugly at times. That is not the Lord's way.

I've never been more grateful for the presence of the Holy Ghost in my life as I have been this year in navigating some pretty turbulent times. I know the decisions I make with regards to my own health and the health of my family have brought peace to me. I've received that quiet witness that we're going to be okay. That is the Holy Ghost confirming that my decisions are good ones. 

I choose to live by faith, not fear.

I'm also grateful for a prophet I can look to for guidance. Our government leaders at times have asked us to do some hard things. One of the articles of faith that I live by is that I believe in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. President Nelson also lives by this article of faith because I've watched him as he too quietly obeys, honors, and sustains these government mandates.

There is hope. There is victory around the corner. 2020 has certainly been a year of ups and downs. For our family, the ups far outweigh the downs. 

Be a pineapple: Stand tall. Wear a crown. And be sweet on the inside.