Coronavirus – Northern Ireland #5

Posted byFractured Faith BlogPosted inA Fractured FaithTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I will never take anything for granted again. During this lockdown I have become increasingly fixated on sales of my first book and finishing the edits on my second. This is what I do. When stuff gets real and scary I tend to hide in fantasy land. I struggle to cope with the situation so disappear down the rabbit hole, where I’m of little use to anyone. I panic when I should be calm; I become selfish, fixated on tiny little specks of my life which don’t particularly matter when you look at the bigger picture.

There are now people getting seriously ill who I know. Only through work but, still, it has brought it home to me like a hammer over the head. This isn’t Sky News, this is real and it’s happening now. The death toll is now 21 in Northern Ireland and over 1,200 across the United Kingdom as a whole. The figures coming out of New York, Spain and Italy are even more terrifying. I need to wise up, we all need to wise up. COVID-19 is on our doorstep. Thinking of all my fellow bloggers at this awful time. Stay safe wherever in the world you are.

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

59 thoughts on “Coronavirus – Northern Ireland #5”

  2. Remember also that the vast majority of people will recover fine from catching this. We should still take it completely seriously, but try to stay calm during this mess. 🙂

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  6. Silk Cords is correct, most will recover from this, and although this is very serious we can only do our part, and do it consistently every day. Most important is to look after ourselves and guard our mental health just as much if not more than our physical health. Be well!

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  7. Last night was the first time I had a solid sleep in at least two weeks or more. It’s hard to know what to do with the stress energy. Fortunately we have a little walking area right behind our apartment building, so I have been out walking off the stress. People who are also using it have been good at keeping their distance, as am I. We smile and wave at each other but we do not get close at all. That has helped a little. I am taking a break from news, which is also helping. It is very scary stuff. Please stay safe and look after your mental health as well.

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  9. Our lives have been changed almost overnight by Covid19 yet there’s so much hope emerging in the midst of all the anxiety and grief. New creativity, more time to connect over the phone or internet through guaranteed time at home and a less crowded schedule. A close look at our mortality too- a good chance to think about our purpose in life and to make every moment count. Such harrowing times and though we do our part to stay healthy and keep others safe through safe distancing and lockdown, in the end we have no control over the outcome of each case- God only knows the future.

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  11. This period will go down in history. So much disruption of our daily lives and overwhelming fear. Yet our civilization will continue on, but not unchanged. Much like 9/11 changed the way we trace and proactively pursue terrorists, we will hopefully be more proactive in preventing these types of situations.
    The silver lining perhaps is the fact that many are allowing themselves to return to God and pray for themselves and each other. Keep safe and God bless!

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  13. Hello from Pensacola on the Gulf coast of Florida. I just discovered your blog and look forward to following it.

    It is an absolutely beautiful day here. My (very fit, 82-year-old) husband and I (a 68-year-old whippersnapper) are very fortunate to live in a Longleaf pine preserve in the mid-north part of Escambia county. So far, our county has 30 confirmed Covid 19 cases and the nearest neighboring county has 20. My understanding is that our hospitals have a total of 3 Covid patients, with the remainder recovering or recovered at home. Our test results are coming in a bit slow, but the communities here are working together to do what we can to “flatten the curve” and it seems to be working. Everyone is eager to be able to reopen the beaches, but understands that may not be wise for another couple of weeks. There is so much none of us knows. Will the virus turn out to be seasonal? Here, we had an unusually mild winter (we’re in the northwest Panhandle area of Florida), and already have temps in the mid-80’s.

    Best wishes and good health to you and your family, Stephen, and all of your readers.

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  15. The world is changing around us. Those of us who hold faith have a power fo encouragement. We all need to withdraw to the places where we can gather that faith so we can share it during our times with each other. Those times now are mostly here on line. I have been spending copious amounts of time in listening prayer so that I might have a word to share with our church body when we get “together” on Sunday mornings. Tis morning our pastor had us begin to share requests on line and then he asked us to reach out to each other to chat and pray individually with the people who are struggling. I am adding you to my list of prayers.

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  17. It surely can be overwhelming. I think we’ll all know someone or be someone who experiences this virus in some way. I’m taking the time to refresh my blog, expand my social media presence, read, and a lot of time to pray. Thanks for your well wishes. Take care.

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  21. Stephen, well written sir. I have been following your updates. It is good to see perspectives on this insanity from another corner of the world. Are they asking people to shelter in place? Not even get out for exercise and fresh air?

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  23. I think that we all use coping mechanisms to protect us from the realities of life and I think that this is a normal response to fear of something whether real or perceived.
    I agree that the current situation is frightening and a part of this is because it is something that we have never experienced before and it is unseen and proving to be deadly, 1 of my friends has just tested positive and they live less than 10 miles away from me.
    I am still hopeful and positive about the future and I hope that you and your family stay safe and well during these difficult times ahead 🤗😊

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