22/03/2020
Here is an inspirational message from former County Commissioner Steve Berry, who is scheduled to return home Tuesday along with his wife, Joni and three other Hood County couples - Danny and Kathleen Reed, Larry and Alice Kiker, and Rick and Ann Frye. The couples went on a cruise together and ended up quarantined for almost three weeks.
‘Find your calm’
By Steve Berry
My wife and I and our friends will be coming home to a different world. I wanted to reach out and let all of Hood County and all the world know we have appreciated your texts, private messages and posts on social media to our groups and all the ones here at Lackland and around the country who are dealing with this unknown virus.
We are now living in a state of unknown. Is it scary? Yes. Is it real? Yes. We have lived the last 17 days essentially under quarantine, either on the cruise ship or at Lackland Air Force Base. Many of our fellow Americans are infected, were exposed or have underlying health issues that put them at risk.
Do we know how long this will last? No. Do we know the extent? No. But I will tell you that if you let it defeat you or get to you, it will beat you down. I want to remind each and every one of you that no one at the local, state or federal level has dealt with something like this. It is easy to be an armchair quarterback and say that I would do this or do that, until you are in their positions. You don’t know what you would do for your fellow man. So, as we move through the next two weeks and beyond let’s all try to make a difference, to be a solution, to find the good in something and not the bad.
I will not lie to you; it has been hard for me. I like to be in control and do what I want when I want, and now this… God is teaching me patience and showing me who is in control.
I remember when a deadly tornado struck Hood County in 2013, and I will tell you how proud I was to be from our community when we all pulled together to help, pray and be a part of something bigger than just our own agendas. I don’t know how long this will last and I don’t know what the extent of it will be, but before it is over, we will all be inconvenienced – or worse. Some will even lose their lives. Others will mock leaders and throw ‘what ifs’ at them. I can tell you that if we all just do our part and try and follow the recommendations of doctors, scientists and leaders who are in touch with the Centers for Disease Control and have watched what happened in China and other parts of world, we might stop this quicker and/or flatten the curve so that we can get back to living.
This is not the time to be a Republican, a Democrat, or whatever; it is time to be an American and more so a HOOD COUNTIAN. Trust your faith and our Lord.
I asked my wife Joni how she felt about the last 17 days and she said she has missed her grandkids terribly. She said she misses being home and being able to do what she wants and working at home and at our events venue. Then she said this is temporary. So many in our world and in Hood County are dealing with cancer, with children who have serious illnesses, or with debilitating things will affect them the rest of their lives.
Now is a time to stop and count your blessings and find reasons to be thankful. This has been a true test of marriage, but it was the best marriage retreat in the world. Use your time to reconnect with your family, and make it a priority. Be patient while teaching your kids at home; they will be gone so soon, and you will miss those times when they were home. Enjoy eating around the table again as a family. Cook together, hold hands and love your God; He is teaching us all something.
So, as we prepare to come home, please find your calm. Be patient at the grocery store, offer to help others and make a difference in your community. Be safe, be smart and pray for the ones affected most right now. Many of the local businesses are being put in a financial bind, and not just restaurants and bars. Think about the doctors and nurses and our first responders who will have to work while their loved ones are at home. Think about law enforcement who will have to deal with ones who think ‘This doesn’t apply to me.’ They have loved ones at home.
Please take a breath and find time each day to stop and love your kids and reconnect with your family. Stop and count your blessings and see how lucky we are to live in this community. Make it an adventure, and remember that this will be history for all of us, just like 9/11 or other tragedies or disasters we have all come through. Be Hood County Strong.
