The corona virus has blindsided us. We weren’t prepared for such a virus or its consequences. No one recognized its severity early on…but now they do. We all do.

On Saturday the Billy Graham Library held a book-signing for my new book, Forgiving My Father, Forgiving Myself, An Invitation to the Miracle of Forgiveness. So many dear folks came – I loved meeting them and hearing their Billy Graham stories.

When I landed in Charlotte I had a headache and stopped by the sundries shop to get some Tylenol. As I was paying for it, the young man behind the counter said, “May I ask you a question.” I said, “yes.” He asked if I knew Billy Graham. I told him I had known him. Then I asked why he asked. He said, “You look like his daughter.” I smiled and told him, “I am his daughter.” He was so excited because he had wanted to meet my father for years. I assured him that he would meet him one day in heaven.

I told him I was in Charlotte to do a book-signing at the Billy Graham Library the next day. He said he would come and bring his mother and daughter. Sure enough, he came and we were able to take photos. I introduced him to my sister, Gigi.

What fun that is! God is good to me.

Back to the virus…how grateful I am for the safeguards that have been put in place over the years to hold our national health systems in place and our financial systems in order. I know it seems like chaos but nothing like in times passed.

I was gone for two weeks and flew multiple times. One flight was from Tampa to Charlotte. The airports were crowded with students trying to get home since their universities had closed. Not many businessmen were flying. I flew home on Sunday afternoon and the flight to Charlottesville was all but empty.

My schedule has had to be reshuffled. What this has brought home to me is: priorities. What is important to me now. I think we all would do well to reprioritize our lives – what is really important?

I did go to the grocery store this morning for a major buy. Since I had been gone for two weeks, I was low on just about everything fresh. And I wanted to have lots of soup makings. I live in an “Over 55” small housing community. Some of my neighbors are well over 55 and I checked on them to see if they needed something. I like to have soup on hand in the freezer. Most, if not all, have family nearby so are well cared for. And, of course, I have my two girls nearby. My youngest has a rare lung disease so we want to be sure she is protected. And her youngest son is compromised as well so, we will take heed to the precautions.

Let’s pray for each other, our nation, our leaders…they look weary. But they stay up all hours in order to serve us and make sure we are protected. They loose sleep so we can sleep.