Click here to read from the perspective of: 8th Graders | High Schoolers | College Students | Young Adults | Adults | Senior Citizens
One of the famous lyrics in this song is “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” We can all use this lyric in our lives right now. We will get through this pandemic together and every little thing is gonna be alright. |
This time is full of uncertainty as we all know. These times for us is stressful, worry-full, nerve racking, and an abundance of other emotions we may have never felt before. One thing we all have on our minds are, “What’s going to happen with everything I had planned for the end of this year?” For some of the eighth graders, it is “What’s going to happen with my graduation? My may-crowning?
The answer to these questions are unclear for everyone. I can’t even begin to express my sorrow for you all throughout this time. My eighth grade year was one of the best experiences of my life, and the fact that you will not get to experience this is heartbreaking. I do believe however that God does have a plan for you in store. Your freshman year of high school is approaching very fast. Freshman year is full of fun sporting events, new teachers, new classes, and new friends. So while you may be sad about missing these last events of the school year, you now have a whole new chapter of your life just waiting to be unfolded.
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Activity:
You can plan some fun things you can do with your grade after quarantine is over. For example, you can all go bowling, out to eat, or out to the beach!
This song talks about how God makes everything beautiful. Although change might come, He is there with you and for you. 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” “Moving Forward” talks about just that. It reminds you that you are alive, present, and ready to move forward into a full and glorious life. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.” This song addresses those feelings lost. It is a song that encourages its listeners to find their way back home so that they can feel peace and light again. |
If you are someone who loves having a colorful planner or Google Calendar, we have something in common. But, during this time, you might be finding yourself crossing out more plans than you’re writing down. For those in high school, you probably had events written in like end-of-the-year mass, spring musical/play, final sports game, college decision day, and, of course, prom and graduation.
You are probably feeling a lot of disappointment and constantly asking yourself “Why? Why are these things I’ve spent months or years looking forward to being taken from me?”. First and foremost, please know that you are valid. You are allowed to grieve during this time. It’s not easy when your world flips overnight and suddenly you’re apart from your teachers and friends. To Class of 2020 Seniors - I am so sorry that you are not going to get the closure from high school that you deserve. Please know that you have so many incredible things to look forward to. I’m sure that this is not how you expected this season of life to end, but try looking forward to all of the incredible experiences that are going to occur as you flip the page into your next chapter. To all those missing out on special high school events this season know this: You are valid and you are not alone. We might not all be in the same boat but we are in the same storm. 
I admit I am not one for surprises so, as you can imagine, this season of life has been the most interesting for me. If you are feeling disappointment during this time, I am right there with you. Within 3 weeks, my classes were moved to Zoom for the rest of the semester, my internship at Walt Disney World was canceled, the musical I was directing (something I had been preparing for months) was canceled, and my college graduation was moved online. That’s a lot to take in a short amount of time, am I right?
For a while, I was very bitter about every event that was taken from me. I was in a constant state of sadness and anger. I kept brooding over how I was not going to be able to share certain life events with friends and family, how I wasn’t going to be able to say a proper goodbye to so many friends and professors at school and how I couldn’t see a clear path for my life after the school year ended anymore.. It took me a while to get over being sour about all of these things I would be missing out on. I allowed myself to grieve my losses but forced myself to think about the future. There will be more shows, more jobs, more opportunities to surround myself with friends and family. While I am still sad about the way things ended, I have faith in the bright future ahead.
What You Can Do
You are free to grieve the events you were meant to experience. You are valid. You are not alone. It might be helpful to keep reminding yourself that there is going to be more to celebrate. The Lord has so much more for you in store - His plans are joyful and His promises never fail. There is more to come so get those calendars ready. :) |
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6