Jesus & Germs

On worry...

A great many people (not you) do now seem to think that the mere state of being worried is in itself meritorious. I don’t think it is. We must, if it so happens, give our lives for others: but even while we’re doing it, I think we’re meant to enjoy Our Lord and, in Him, our friends, our food, our sleep, our jokes, and the birds’ song and the frosty sunrise. ~ Words to Live By, CS Lewis

 There are plenty of things to worry about right now in general. Will our family stay healthy while we're gone on the WC? Will inflation continue to rise? Will the omicron variant scuttle our travel plans? Did I forget to buy a Christmas present for someone? Have we done everything necessary to prepare to leave the country for 4 months? Am I forgetting to pack something dreadfully important? 

But it does no good to fret. Especially about things over which I have zero control. 

So while the DH and I were doing some of our last minute running around this morning, I calmly announced that I'm done "what-if-ing" and defaulting to the negative. We are about to embark on a true adventure--one in which the outcome is by no means certain. We can't be sure about our itinerary. We can't be sure about what excursions will be available (Viking says they will be finalized once we're all on the ship in LA.) We can't be certain we'll test negatively at the lab before we leave for St. Louis for our flight, or each time we spit into a tube on board the Star. We may or may not make it all the way around this glorious blue ball to Bergen next May. (Just ask the folk who were on the original Magical Mystery Cruise in 2020 when the initial Covid outbreak interrupted everyone's travel!) 

All we can do is move forward into this grand adventure with hope in our hearts and faith that it will all work out.

Ever since my microbiology class in college, I've been the hand-washing queen. And Jesus and I talk every day. I've been vaccinated and boosted. I've started wearing a mask in public again. Everything I can do to keep myself and others safe, I'm doing. The rest I must leave to God. And while I'm doing that, I'll take CS Lewis' advice. I will enjoy every day, revel in every sunrise, love my family and friends, and be ever so thankful for the opportunity to go on this extraordinary voyage!

One of my favorite movies is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In this story, the character Sonny often says, "It will  be all right in the end. And if it is not all right, it is not the end."

I have a feeling CS Lewis would think those are words to live by, too.