Eighteen to Twenty-Nine Year Olds - Are We Really That Much Older?

Our entire goal for this morning was to go to Costco. Mission accomplished! What is it about Costco that is so fun?  I have had a long running list for a couple of weeks now, and it was good to go in and pick up the things we can't get elsewhere.  Things like rolls that I can heat up at the first sign of last minute company.  Or a pork shoulder roast for pulled pork which will sit in the freezer until pressed into service, or Costco's super-sized tortilla chips - they last forever and are great for chili, white chicken chili, taco pile-ups etc.  And of course the ever-popular treats to put out for nights where two or three are gathered.  



Is this the prettiest road into a Costco you have ever seen?



Speaking of gathering, Oxford has put out the alert that COVID cases are on the rise again, precipitously.  We are edging toward the red alert mark where they will declare a lockdown again.  We missed the last one.  It is not difficult to see why numbers are on the rise.  Thirty cases can be traced to one party at Oxford Brookes College where students party through the nights, crowded together in little flats, wearing no masks.  We will watch and see.  It is possible that our own little socializing attempts may come to a screeching halt.  I hope we can have Angie, Veer and Esmerelda over tomorrow night for the second half of "My Fair Lady," and dinner before that happens.

We had a meeting with Veer and Kristina this afternoon here in our flat.  They are 19 and 20 years old - respectively.  They are wonderful.  We visited for about an hour and a half about the needs and possible activities of the YSAs.  In comparison to what we did in Denmark six years ago, this is truly amazing.  We are mostly reduced to doing everything online.  

I know there is a lot of loneliness, isolation and anxiety out there, and it is so very difficult to be able to help someone without feeling the reassuring touch of a hand, looking into a compassionate face, and hearing the warmth of someone's voice who is physically present.

Institute was the last thing we did this evening.  It lasts an hour an a half and it is an amazing time with an outstanding teacher.  He calls on people to make comments and their faces magically appear on screen, and he shares quotes, written scriptures, charts - whatever.  It really is a marvelous way to teach and it has the feel of a personal experience.  And it is the best we have at the moment, so we might as well settle in and make the best of it.

He shared a quote from one of my favorite books The God Who Weeps.....


It is a great way to end a day.

Comments

melissa said…
So crazy to see how up and down your activities may be! But at least you’ll be there on lockdown, right?! And maybe all these dumb college students will just get it, get over it, and then the numbers will go down. Let’s hope!
October 7, 2020 at 11:21 PM
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