From shocking sayings to shaggy hair, confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more than one case of cabin fever. It also gave us a few reasons to chuckle. The following stories show the truth in the saying: “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).
Layers of Plenty
During the first week of working from home in late March, my writing partner, Beth, requested six onions as part of an online grocery order. When she picked up her food at the market, Beth noticed one box was very heavy. Inside, she found the largest six onions in history.
“They were the size of grapefruits,” she says. “One of the grocery-order fillers must have felt generous that day!”
After several months of eating recipes containing onions, Beth’s family have decided to grow their own next spring.
Seeing Things
When my friend, Jennie, brought home a meal from a fast-food café, her son, Mike, stared at the saying on the side of his cup.
“Oh, man,” he said. “Even the ads on the cups mention quarantines!”
Jennie glanced at the cup and read: “Best Breakfast, Guaranteed.” Mike had mistaken it for: “Best Breakfast, Quarantined.
Embracing the Present
For several years, my single-mom daughter, Marie, has shared a bedroom with her youngest, Grace. One day in late May, Grace stood two metres across the room from Marie, holding her arms wide and jiggling her fingers.
“Here’s a socially correct hug, Mom,” she said.
“At least she was paying attention to the rules,” Marie laughed.
Talking to the Animals
Nathan, the young son of my friend, Diane, told his mother he’d seen a wasp in the backyard.
“I had to explain social distancing to him, Mom, so he wouldn’t sting me.”
It worked! That wasp kept its distance. Perhaps Nathan will be the next Dr. Doolittle!
Silly Chipmunks
When my husband, Kevin, rescued a chipmunk from being cornered by our cat, he told our grandson, Daniel, that the chipmunk looked familiar.
Kevin explained that sometimes after he set the little critters free, they often turned around and came back into the path of danger.
“You know you’ve been cooped up too long when you recognize the chipmunks,” Daniel said.
“He’s Batman!”
Ernest Batman, the elderly father of a friend, always wears a Batman face-covering when he goes out in public. Kids at the local market swarm around him, telling him how much they like his mask. One day, a clerk who’s known Ernest for decades told the youngsters, “His mask isn’t fake. That man really is Batman!”
Shaggy and Shouting for Jesus
After 73 straight days of staying home, when hairstylists were first open, I asked Kevin if he planned to get his hair cut before Jesus came back to earth. Referring to the Bible promise, Kevin argued, “We’ll have new bodies then, so why bother?”
“Honey,” I replied, “the Bible doesn’t say anything about new hair. Won’t you be embarrassed to meet Jesus with a snazzy new body and shaggy hair?”
Later that day, Kevin appeared, sporting a handsome haircut. “I just thought you’d want to know that it’s official: Jesus can come back now,” he said.
My answer to that? I took my cue from the Book of Revelation.
“Come today, Lord Jesus!” I shouted.
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