With the world presently in such a state of negativity surrounding COVID-19, I continue to see the only antidote is to practice gratitude, which is the very purpose of my Grateful Heart Monday series. In light of that, what I’m grateful today is for my partner Chris still having a job during this pandemic crisis.
As most of my regular readers know, I personally don’t have a paying job that helps to bring home any bacon to my relationship with Chris. I do my best to make up for that doing household chores and duties and thankfully using some savings that helps to contribute to a few small bills each month. My health issues have continued to stand in the way of me getting back out there in the real world to a paying job and while my mind and spirit desire that immensely, my physical body isn’t quite capable of it yet. But I do have faith that one day soon I will and have kept that faith alive to keep me going. In the meantime though, I’ve been ever so grateful that Chris has continued supporting the two of us.
That’s why I developed fear when this virus began spreading rapidly and things started to shut down, forcing hundreds, then thousands, and now millions out of work. Every time Chris has come home from work since this whole shutdown began, I have wondered if he’s going to tell me he too is now out of a job. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened thus far and I’m ever so grateful to God for that.
It’s humbling for me to not having a paying job, to not be able to earn a living, especially when I once owned a seven figured business and before that was earning more than $80k per year. With my partner being in an industry that is still considered essential, it’s made life a lot easier to bear during these crazy COVID-19 fear-based times.
I know of so many who don’t know how they are going to keep getting by, who are out of work and have been for weeks now, even when their unemployment finally comes through. Unemployment tends not to cover an entire family’s bills, let alone the individual themselves most times. The last time Chris and I were dealing with that situation, when he was out of work for about a year, life was so stressful, tension was constantly high, and I questioned every day how we were going to keep managing.
So, for as simple as this piece of gratitude was to write about, the amount of gratitude I’m feeling surrounding it is rather complex. Because I truly am grateful that God placed Chris in a job that continues to operate during these uncertain times. I’m grateful that we still have his income coming in to keep putting food on our table and a roof over our heads. I’m grateful to Chris for his ongoing willingness to financially support us and to keep on working, even when he knows there’s a risk continuing to do so. And I’m grateful God has kept Chris healthy enough to keep working, as that continues to make this all possible during a terrible pandemic crisis that I most certainly pray will soon be over.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
