It was Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
My daughter and her boyfriend are huge Butler basketball fans, and we planned a Spring Break adventure to New York City for the Big East Tournament.
Butler was to play Providence Thursday afternoon. We left around 5, hoping to drive halfway to DuBois, Pennsylvania, and the rest of the way Thursday morning.
News of the Coronavirus was building, and the idea of “social distancing” had just entered our conversation.
While the outbreak was declared a global pandemic that morning, there were only 1000 confirmed cases in the US - 216 in New York - so we ventured off trusting that God’s Providence, and the news from Twitter, would guide us.
At 6 o’clock, the Big 10 Tournament announced they wouldn’t allow spectators in Indianapolis, then the ACC did the same for Greensboro, North Carolina, but no word from the Big East.
Next, the NBA announced it was suspending its season. Then the president announced a travel ban from Europe. Finally, Tom Hanks and his wife were announced as testing positive. The floodgates had opened.
We arrived at the hotel around 11, and over Domino’s pizza, I asked them to discuss what they wanted to do in the morning. It didn’t take long – we all felt like God was guiding us to head back home. Little did we know how radically life was about to change.
Let’s Pray – God our loving Father. Your word is a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path. Thank you for your loving Providence as we continue to weather the storm of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Amen.
This is Mike (and Maggie) Kelly with Pray For 2. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, or on the Redeemer Radio app.