When Pandemic is Over

What will you (we) be praying for when this crisis (pandemic) is over?

This question keeps swirling around in my head followed by a few others.

Will the Nation or world be praying together at a set time ever again in history?

Will ministers and rabbis be on television and be asked to pray for the Nation?

Will our minds still be consumed by COVID-19?

I have lived through a number of fearsome times, and I think I have lived with fear most of my life, but I don't believe that I have ever lived through a time such as this.

I remember the Ku Klux Klan and people going missing in our neighborhood and the folks telling us (the children) not to as White folks and to remember our manners.

I remember White folks telling the children in our class to remember to be a "credit to our Race.

I remember how scared I was during the Cold War, and not having an underground shelter that my family and I could go to when the real war came.

I remember being in Florida with the Cuban Crisis was going on and just waiting on Fidel Castro to drop a bomb on us.

I remember my girlfriend Regina Gray being struck with polio and the rush for a vaccine and being forced to get one. In fact, that is where my terrible fear of needles comes from. A White nurse called me "the bad word" and then jammed the needle in my arm and it broke off. Then living through the trauma of getting the broken needle out of my arm. The scar is still there.

I remember the outbreak of mumps, chickenpox, and measles, cancer (the big C), herpes (cold sores back in the day), Hiv/AIDS, and the list goes on and on.

I remember oh so much more, but never have I seen what is happening to us today. We are almost paralyzed with fear of COVID-19. The airways are filled with fear, dread, and just plain bad news. Little children are scared. Parents and grandparents are scared. Neighbors are scared We are living in uncertain times.

Yes, my friends, we are in a war. A war that is being fought without guns and the enemy is killing our family members, friends, neighbors, strangers across the globe. There seems to be no end in sight.

People continue to talk about the "new" normal while I keep remembering the threat of the "new" world order. Nothing in my mind comes close to what we are experiencing today. We do not understand it, and so far there is no treatment or cure.

So, we pray. We pray for one another. We pray for the doctors, the nurses, the first responders, the grocery workers, our neighbors, our police, and yes, we pray for our teachers, administrators, employees, small businesses, scientists, and everyone else. What a time to be alive and to once again see and hear that people are praying with little or no objections.

I am reminded of a slogan from my childhood "A family that prays together, stays together!"

I remember when there was pride in America.

I remember when "In God we trust" was on almost everything. It was not just a slogan at my house. My Mother made sure of that.

Who knew that a virus would cause such a rallying crying? Who knew that such a tiny invisible indiscriminately murdering microscopic parasite would bring nations to their knees?

They've written movies about it, but coronavirus is not a movie. It is deadly, persistent, and unforgiving.

People are praying even those who would never admit it. People are crying and feeling depressed, lonely, and alone, and prayer seems to be their only solace. These are desperate times, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

Who knew that prayer would be the only answer fo such a long period of time?

So, I ask the questions again:

What will you (we) be praying for when this crisis (pandemic) is over?

Will the Nation or world be praying together at a set time ever again in history?

Will ministers and rabis be on television and be asked to pray for the Nation?

For the record, I know that there are others out there praying for peace, healing, and justice. I know that faith and hope still live eternal. I know that God is real for me, and because of that I can and will face tomorrow.

How will you get through tomorrow which always turns out to be today?

Peace and blessings always.