The Grey Day

by Robin Lynne Melet

The night was peaceful, so I thought. I thought life would go on as it was without interruption. I prayed, “Dear God, our world needs you, Lord,” as I set my alarm ahead one hour. The “rat race” I was so annoyed with was about to change, unbeknownst to me. I was tired. Tired of people driving in a hurry to get to anywhere. I was tired of people driving closely behind me so they could bully me while in their cars. Even I was in a race with time. I just wanted more time without feeling hurried. I was so tired of people and our society as it was. So many people were pushy, rude and just plain mean. This wasn’t how I grew up.

My friends and I played safely in the woods. We laid down on the front yard and imagined silly formations in the clouds. We even had mopeds and drove around the neighborhood tooting our loud-pitched horns. All the neighborhood parents knew all the kids, by name.

When I was twelve years old, I wrote and presented a speech which won a first-place runner-up gold medallion. The title, “Sadly, Tragedy Brings Unity,” was about the 1978 blizzard in Ohio. I remember vividly, opening the front door only to see that the whole doorway was covered in snow! School was definitely closed and we had a snow day! People came together in the community to shovel the snow for the elderly, brought groceries to each other and called each other to see if everyone was alright.

The alarm sounded playing my favorite song, “Boogie Shoes,” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. I woke up and looked outside of the window. It was grey, gloomy and rainy this March day. I got dressed and got into my car. I drove down the road a little bit and just stared through the windshield. I had seen previously on the morning news that people were dying of a strange airborne disease in China. The name of the disease was called, Coronavirus. This was very contagious and spread quickly into Italy, then into the United States. It was like a swarm of bees that infected the air we all breathed. Only we couldn’t see the bees or the swarm. It was an energy of atoms in the atmosphere that floated together. “Surely,” the younger generation thought, “this is only for the elderly. It can’t possibly affect us.” But, the disease did not discriminate against age, gender, race or color of skin. This disease had plagued the world.

The grey sky blended with the grey road. Even the mist was grey. All I could see were yellow and white lines ahead of my car. The feeling was of uncertainty, not knowing what would happen in the very next minute. I wore my white face mask and plastic gloves. Nothing was sanitary. People were encouraged to wash their hands, stand six-feet away from each other (which was termed, “social distancing”) and everyone rushed out to buy hand sanitizer, paper towels, food and toilet paper. The stores ran out of supplies and the shelves were empty. People lost their jobs because of the illness and the order to stay at home. Schools, businesses, government offices, casinos, museums, movie theaters, entertainment and even restaurants were closed, except for carry-out or drive-through service. This was no ordinary, grey day. People all around the world were scared, filled with anxiety and confused. Life as we knew it, had been totally rearranged, and it seemed like there was nothing we could do.

People had turned away from God for years and made the world an ugly place with bad attitudes, corruption and greed. Most forgot to be thankful for simple pleasures, like the Eastern sun in the morning and the peaceful, blanket of stars at night.

“Finally,” God thought. “All my children can hear me and are turning to me, again.” Ohio (and most of the United States) was urged to obey a ‘Stay at Home” order by our Governor. Most of the world was already on lock-down, due to the severity of this deadly disease. This disease attacked any living, breathing, human’s respiratory system. Everyone had to learn to cope and survive with this shutdown. The whole world seemed grey.

Then, miracles started happening. People were shaken up and forced to come together, but in separate dwellings. So, because of the internet, people were able to communicate with video chats. The Italians sang out of their balconies to each other. Musical artists started playing their music for free on the internet to help ease the tensions. People learned to lean on each other, again. The mailman still delivered the mail. The first responders (doctors, nurses, home health aides, trashmen, janitors and grocery store workers, news reporters and radio disc jockeys) worked tirelessly to help everyone out.

People turned to each other and God.

My hope is that this time, people will be more grateful for what they already have; like a home, food, a bed to sleep in, toilet paper, sanitizer, of course and family and friends. It is truly sad that so many have lost their lives to this very ugly disease. This whole situation reminds me of a picture I painted four years ago. The top of the picture is a storm of rain clouds. There are tall buildings painted in different hues of grey. There is a wet street and a lady wearing a red raincoat with a red umbrella over her head. She courageously faces the storm, goes through it with faith and knows that God is covering her (Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” and Deuteronomy 31:6 “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”).

Thank you, God, for hearing my prayer. Thank you, for putting the world on vacation.

I see us all as seeds and God wants us to bloom in a whole, new different way. Sadly, tragedy brought unity again. "2 Timothy 1:7-For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind."

And the Son shines on!