Covid19, alias CoronaVirus, aka Miss Rona, is the first time in 101 years that a pandemic of this magnitude has disrupted the world. This letter does not serve the purpose of reprimanding or educating us all on the intense medical significance of this disease. All the information you need for you and your family to stay safe is available on trusted websites such as the CDC.gov and Coronavirus.nd.edu. I want to take this moment to remind us all of something that spreads a lot faster and is immensely more powerful than any virus known to man: Compassion.
I know we all have care for people, however, now more than ever, it’s time we practice care as a verb not a noun. This is not the time for Tit-for-Tat caring. It does not matter if you have not heard from someone in months or years or if you feel no fruits will bear from you extending a hand-up. There are so many amongst us struggling with isolation and feelings of hopelessness. Reach out to people and offer your support, compassion, and see how you could be of help. It is through giving unconditionally that you will receive ten-fold. You never know how God wants to use you to enact change and make a difference in someone’s life. Even when the world shuts down, even when the world gets quiet, our hearts and our minds cannot. Must not.
I have come to realize that there is no such thing as luck or coincidence or circumstance. Just Fate, Faith, and Family. Whether it is your blood family, your AnBryce family, or the family you meet along the way; nothing else matters but the love and compassion we show to one another.
Have hope. I know it is unsettling to see empty grocery stores, or that masks and gloves are becoming a way of life. Our heart aches for our graduating seniors who will not get to experience the well deserved celebration of years of relentless hard work at one of the toughest universities in the country. From the bottom of our hearts we are truly sorry, and AnBryce will do all it can to celebrate this huge achievement, even from afar. Let us all show appreciation to our seniors and to families with essential workers that are the unsung heroes keeping our country running. Hold them a little tighter today, tomorrow, and furthermore.
Feelings of defeat or devastation are not reality, just tools the devil uses to keep us oppressed and afraid. Do not be afraid. You must never be afraid, because God is always with you and he is alive. Use this silence to hear him. Be grateful for the life you have, because mastering the act of gratitude in moments of destitution is where true, long lasting happiness arises.
Corona might be a weapon, but it will never prosper. This too shall pass and we will all meet again and rejoice.
Stay safe, and Love Yours,
Viv