“I Got This”

Let the weight of the matter rest upon me now,
and do not let your mind dwell upon it further.
– Sherlock Holmes to his client
in “A Case of Identity”

In January 2020, my wife and I spent two enjoyable weeks in warm, sunny Florida. We visited a number of different locations including Naples, Everglades National Park, Sanibel Island, Venice, and Gainesville.

&spsp.; American alligator - Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida &spspspsp; Water lily - Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida

&spsp.; Green heron - Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida &spspspsp; Brown pelican - Lowdermilk Park, Naples, Florida

Tree nymph butterflies - Butterfly Rainforest, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida

&spsp.; Waves breaking on rocks - Caspersen Beach, Venice, Florida &spspspsp; Great egret - Venice Audubon Rookery, Venice, Florida

Little did I realize this would be the last of my overnight photography outings for quite some time to come.

Many months later, in the waning days of summer, wearing a mask to go out in public, avoiding seeing friends, and not being able to gather in worship at church are just a few examples of the ways COVID-19 has continued to impact our lives. And many folks are much worse off than my wife and me.

The coronavirus has significantly altered life for just about everyone I know. Questions are far more abundant than answers. I think most of these queries can be summarized with this one: “When will our lives return to normal?”

But you know, I don’t spend a lot of time pondering this question. I go about life as I can with appropriate care and caution. Although my photography outings are much more limited, I’ve done a lot more writing than normal. The reason I don’t expend a bunch of energy trying to figure out what will or won’t happen with the coronavirus is that God said, “I got this.”

Let him have all your worries and cares,
for he is always thinking about you
and watching everything that concerns you.
– I Peter 5:7 (The Living Bible)