I listened to a podcast recently that said in 2020, we were “mothering on shaky ground.” 1 million women left the workforce last year. For many of them, that was their only solution to the challenges brought on by the Coronavirus Pandemic, “lockdown” strategies, and subsequent school closures.
Employees who could not work from home often found themselves unemployed.
Parents were thrown into homeschooling overnight.
Children began spending much of their days in front of a screen. Because social distancing required…distance.
And parents and teachers alike wondered how much learning would actually be accomplished through this unplanned “distance learning.”
We couldn’t visit Grandma, because it wasn’t considered safe. If Grandma lived in a care facility, there was no way around that restriction. And if Grandma had lost some of her cognitive ability, she might not be able to understand why.
Some people never got to hug Grandma again.
On the podcast I referred to, Erin Davis said, “It’s been hard, and I’ve been changed by it.” And then she said, “This year, I may have done my most important ministry yet.” Much of what mothers do is mundane. But mundane doesn’t mean it’s not ministry!
This past year has been a hard one. It is right to acknowledge that, to grieve for what was lost. Mothering is tough enough in non-pandemic times—we will likely all carry some marks from the past 12 months.
Maybe you would be encouraged by this podcast, as I was. “One Year Later: Reflecting on Trials and Joy” (The Grounded Podcast from Revive Our Hearts)