Pen-demic

I can remember a number of years ago when people first had the ability to “work from home”. The studies quickly showed that “out of sight, out of mind” meant that the people who worked from home didn’t get promoted or get raises, at the same rate as those who came into the office, because the Boss never saw them and quite frankly, it was easy to “forget” them. Companies were so afraid that people working from home would spend time on “other things”, that some companies set up the work computers so they would tell the “Boss” if the person stepped away from the computer for more than a preprogrammed allowable time. While a few industries continued to promote it, most companies preferred their employees to come to a central office or workplace instead. Now, after 2 years of people working from home, or working“hybrid” with some days in the office and typically more days at home due to covid restrictions, working from home (or “ off site ”)has become the “norm” in many industries. ...

Several months ago, our daughter asked me to read a book to her children using YouTube.    Since I haven’t spent much time with them this past year, nor can I visit them in their new home, I agreed to give it a try. First, I needed to buy a tripod for my phone with a halo light—plenty available on Amazon at a reasonable cost.    We also agreed on a book— Number the Stars by Lois Lowry—not terribly long, and it was one I had previously read.     I felt like this was a good fit for me since I had also been a secondary reading teacher. Because my “audience” was grandchildren ages 13-5, I had to explain vocabulary from time to time.    Then, I got the idea to teach them “think-alouds”.    That’s reading a story out loud but also saying the thoughts that run through a person’s head while reading:    making comparisons, asking questions, predicting,    commenting.    Every now and then, I inserted family stories...

The nation’s response to the Coronavirus has us all rethinking what our lives are about. Do we have to go to gyms to exercise? Can I stay in touch with friends without being near them? Can there ever be too much toilet paper and frozen pizza in the house? Can I get the same uplifting message from online church? Will life go back to what it was before the Coronavirus was in America? Not likely. Any event that is as far reaching to all aspects of our lives will change us. But we go forward just like those before us did in uncertain times. Our spiritual lives have changed, how we worship and congregate. There may be a plus side to our virtual church. There are people that may be searching for deeper meaning in their lives. The world in crazy mode has that effect. But, those same people might be reluctant to go inside a building filled with strangers who may or may not look like them. It is all too much bother to figure when to stand and shake hands(pre-March 2020 referenc...