COVID-19 - You have no power here

First thought from Patsy this morning: "Have you ever been so excited to have a shot before?" We're headed over to Heber City this afternoon to have our second jab of the MODERNA vaccine. Two weeks from now, we're told, we will be "fully vaccinated" and able to mingle with others who have been similarly blessed with fewer restrictions. I know nothing is perfect, but after one long year of being held hostage by all the restrictions and health advisories, this feels like a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.

COVID-19 has taken its toll on our lives. The vaccines have proven to be the best control mechanism out there, and the numbers here in Utah are on a sharp downward trajectory finally. That's all good news, since the virus has risen to the top of the list of causes of death in America - more than heart attacks and cancer. To say there's no such thing as this deadly virus is silly. To say it is a government conspiracy to control the masses is likewise silly and sophomoric. 

People are free to choose how to respond to the virus - get a vaccine or not - but continuing to help one another by observing safe distancing, wearing masks and frequent hand washing is just good hygiene. 

We have chosen this past year to limit our large family gatherings, and we have hunkered down here at home to increase our chances of avoiding the virus altogether. We have attended our sacrament meetings since they opened up again, simply because the bishopric has been responsible and created a safe space in which to meet. Their precautions have made us feel secure in being there. The ward building gatherings have felt more safe, certainly, than doing something like going to the grocery store for example.

Travel will someday open up again. The airlines are desperate for your business and are offering low cost rates to lure us back into the air. Reservations for cruises are slowly inching up too as the companies come back online with more deals. We had planned a Mediterranean cruise last fall so we could see the new Rome Temple and visit the Holy Land again. Then I got my brain tumor diagnosis and surgery followed soon after that. We applied for a refund of our fares about the same time the cruise was cancelled and all of Europe shut down due to COVID-19. It took months, but we eventually received our full refund from the travel insurance policy we had taken out from AIG. We had a "consolation prize" trip last summer to Moab, Utah, that included visits to Arches National Park, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park with some of our family and we were outdoors the whole time. Now we anticipate this coming year will provide more opportunities. 

It is worth noting that from the outset, President Russell M. Nelson has stated publicly many times that the pandemic would in time subside and that it would be conquered by modern science. He took immediate and extensive precautionary steps to shut down the temples, offer suggestions to local leaders on how to conduct our meetings, and in general has given confident and expert advice on how to proceed through the pandemic's pitfalls. Those who have heeded his counsel have been blessed. Zoom meetings have become routine now, but I have to say it's not the same as actually being together face-to-face.

I suspect we have not seen the end of these overflowing scourges in the years ahead. It was unthinkable a year ago that this virus could have such far-reaching and long-lasting detrimental effects, but it has shown a determined and nasty ability to resist defeat.

Now, however, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Utah is lifting its statewide mask wearing mandate on April 10th by legislative fiat, and a growing number of Utahns are taking full advantage of the availability of the vaccines. Patsy and I are so grateful for the effects the vaccine will have on our family gatherings as we contemplate more gatherings this year. Soon, we hope, we will participate in person at baby blessings, baptisms, ordinations, and eventually be enabled to return to full-time temple worship.

That minute microscopic virus will soon have no power over us. As we emerge from the restrictions with which we have been saddled in the best interests of public safety, let us remember the sobering lessons we have learned about valuing life, our loved ones and all our friends and neighbors. As we return to normal, let's invest in hugs, kisses, and handshakes to lift and bless others. Let's more fully align our lives with the Savior, the Prophet and our family. 

The isolation we have experienced has easily produced an advanced case of cabin fever in me. I'm certain others feel as I do. The other day I went to Heber City on a couple of errands, and on a 60+ degree day I observed a lot of convertible sports cars with tops down, and their occupants taking full advantage of the sunshine and its warmth. 

It gave me renewed hope that spring cannot be far behind.