Finding Oasis Through Covid-19

What you see is us smiling with the kids...typical weekend night.

What you don’t see is the weeks we spent in isolation from them due to COVID 19. This picture displays the first time we have sat on the couch together.

Thank you God for your healing power!!! 🙌🏾

I always say, you never know what hides behind a smile...

We didn’t make a Facebook post announcing it initially because broadcasting what we were going through wasn’t at the forefront of our minds. After the initial shock, then worry, shame set in...we were careful, we take every precaution, no large gatherings, no trips or anything like that and still ended up with it.

But if this post helps even one person, we can push our feelings aside.

So the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 started off with Covid. I’m thankful to say that our symptoms were relatively mild, but whew....it was a doozy.

I received the results on NYE right as we were getting ready to start our in home NYE festivities of taking down the Christmas tree, watching a family movie, family prayer and celebratory bubbly. We were so ready to bring in the new year, but everything changed with that phone call.

The first few nights of shortness of breath, were rough and going to Google didn’t do anything but scare us (personally I think a lot of it is in the mind). The shortness of breath and chest pains were alarming but it never became intense...I think the anxiety of what COULD happen psyched us out at first, but then we had to put our so-called faith into practice. We can’t be out here professing faith and not living it. So we told ourselves “no more Google” and kept speaking our health into existence. Faith without works is dead though, so best believe we stayed on top of our supplements too...faithfully.

*I hope you never have to use it, but the regiment we used is listed below in case you need it one day*

I think another thing that makes this covid thang difficult is now that we have these negative test results ( praise break), having to remember we aren’t 100% out of the woods. A day after testing negative, I had pain in my chest like....”wait a min, but I thought I was good”.

What makes this different from any other cold, virus, flu, whatever is the fact that not much is known about it...so a lot of the “overcoming” came from repositioning our thoughts from what we feared, to manifesting what we believed...which was that we would overcome this and be healed.

Not wanting to worry my loved ones, there were nights where all I could do was call on my Father! 🙌🏾

Thank you Lord for for hearing my cry.

I thank God for His faithfulness and pulling us through day by day. I am also grateful that our symptoms were relatively mild.

I would say the worst part about this whole thing was being isolated from Mel and Langston. It was absolutely necessary though to keep them safe. I remember the initial fear that rose in my heart thinking “My God, what if our children get it?” You would think that with Dre and I having it, that they would end up with it too, but they didn’t. No symptoms and multiple negative test confirmations. It’s as though God placed an impenetrable covering of protection over them.

The hardest thing was having to explain to LA why we couldn’t hug him goodnight and why they couldn’t cuddle with us before bed.

...or having to get up to hear them crying in the game room. Mel did her best to console Langston until she too ended up in tears herself.

We are close, close. Like frfr. Y’all know how some folks can’t stand their family and are looking for a getaway every chance they get? Yeah, that’s not us. So this broke our hearts.

Like little troopers though, they adjusted. We all did. I am so proud of them. Melody’s leadership. Langston’s strength. We found a way to find laughter in spite of it all.

*side note: Facebook Messenger Kids was a big help in terms of communication with the kids!

Thank you to our parents, brothers and sis, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends, who checked on us and our kids daily, brought food, picked up groceries, the list goes on.

Our hearts are overwhelmed with the abundance of love, help and care that was shown when we needed it most. We love you all so much. ❤️

On the road to recovery, and so far, still can’t fully smell, have some weird feelings in my chest every now and again, but a good ol breathing treatment or few puffs of my inhaler get me right back where I need to be. Oh, and I got my taste back!!! (yall...I’m a foodie, so not being able to taste my food was TORTURE!)

Oh, last note. Work. Maaaaaaannnnn....

I may have to save the bulk of what I really want to say for a full blog post, but I’ll just say this...and leave it at that. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let anyone rush you into coming back to work earlier than you feel comfortable. Don’t let them guilt you either. Money can be replaced, but your life can’t. So yeah, I had to to dip into my time to take the time I need off, but hey. It is what it is. Folks are out here dying. I refuse to overexert myself anymore. I have way too much to live for.

Y’all be careful out there, seriously. It’s no big deal, out of sight, out of mind...until it happens to you or your loved ones.

Final thought to ponder...

It’s funny how God will allow things to stop you in your tracks while you’re doing what you THINK you’re supposed to be doing, but when you can’t do anything but sit in isolation...(which was really in His presence)...it is surprisingly all the time in the world to do what He has purposed for you to do.

Covid—0

God’s faithfulness-1

We had some really good recommendations sent to us by some family and friends, and below is our “gumbo” regiment.

D & T Covid Regiment (consult YOUR doctor first!!!)

1. Aim for half body weight in oz of water each day (we aimed for a gallon)

2. Blueberry/banana/peach smoothies (with added flax seed)

3. TEA! Plenty of it! We used peppermint tea, lemon, ginger tea, Throat Coat *We also added Fire Cider in our teas (Fire Cider is a blend of herbs mixed with ACV and honey)

4. Gatorade to replenish electrolytes

5. *Vitamins D (5000iu), C (1000mg), Zinc (100-400) 10 deep breaths every hour, inhaler every 6 hours for the first 72 hours *Thank you big sis!

6. Also Turmeric, Elderberry, Magnesium (400mg)

7. Sea moss (had added ginger and elderberry...we hit up CC’s Butta)

8. Even when we lost our appetite, we made sure we ate...(things like chicken soup and pho are easy meals for those days)

9. Sleeping on stomach or side (it was hard for me to sleep on my stomach...kept feeling like I was choking, but I slept on my side)

10. Monitored our heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels

11. * We also had our home sanitized, carpet cleaned, mattress AND toothbrushes replaced. It may not be necessary to do all of that, but we did. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Musical Spirit Fuel

• “We Gon’ Be Alright” Tye Tribbett

• “Atofarati Bi Oke” (translation: My Support and Defense) Folabi Nuel https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3xeAPto5fJJviybFcxO2FoeSVBUvmlzCXY0xm6NiWLP3g4kNRUdKGIH5I&v=v

• “Why Not Me” Tasha Page-Lockhart

Scriptures that got us through

Isaiah 26:3-4

Psalms 23

Philippians 3:10-11

Job 38:1-7 ( Excerpt from the Bible App plan, “Seeing God: Job’s Suffering and God’s Wisdom)

Psalms 32:8

Job 33:13-33

Mathew 6:27-34

John 15:4-5