Happy 40th Birthday, Hannah!
Ehlana and Ethan:
This has been a very busy, eventful day –
and that didn’t include a major birthday party because that sort of thing isn’t
supposed to happen anymore while we’re dealing with the coronavirus
emergency. We did what we could to help
Aiden’s Mom with having a happy day, but we didn’t even try to get her a
kid-free night; since all of our parents are a bit busy with their grown-up
responsibilities.
Compared to that, our first day of online
education wasn’t a big deal – except that Ethan and Naomi were very, very happy
to work together all day. Sure, Naomi
was doing her own lessons and assignments, but that wasn’t a big deal; and we’re
used to doing our own homework assignments anyway. We worked in the lounge while Mom, Cassie,
Michael, and May split their time between the office and sunroom for their work. That doesn’t seem fair for the collegians on spring
break, but since they can’t be going anywhere for a holiday; they are
happy-enough to make money instead.
Our school day ended by early-afternoon,
since we had everything done by then even without the help of time
phasing. WE had a late lunch; went for a
bike ride that didn’t include hanging out with other friends because we’re
supposed to stay in small groups even while outdoors; and then we – the kids –
went to the lab or archives for the rest of the afternoon. That was fun; Ethan and I dropped Aiden and
Naomi off at their homes on the ride back to our house; and then we’ve had a
quiet dinner and evening here that was quiet because Cassie and Michael were
with his parents for a lot of that time.
We worked on our ‘real’ studies for a while after dinner while May hung
out with Mom and Dad; she joined us in the lounge for a movie that Cassie and
Michael caught the end of; and then we had some music fun with all of us before
splitting up to either get ready for bed or head downstairs to hang out with
Mom and Dad again.
We’re ready to get some sleep soon, but
before we go there; let’s include the latest news from home and elsewhere about
the top story of the year.
First up – about half of the stores in town
are now closed to customers except for online sales, pick-ups, and
deliveries. Dad and Aunt Leanne are
included in that group; so they’re dealing with all of their clients by phone
or online – including for rentals and home-selling or buying. Aunt Leanne and Claire have had virtual tours
of homes and apartments for years now, but don’t expect many new sales right
now anyway. Anyone that has been
affected on the job front is being taken care of – either with other, temporary
jobs like those delivery services; or we have a program though the family
business to bridge any financial needs to go along with government programs for
however long that’s necessary. That, by
the way, isn’t a big deal; and is really only needed for some people that have
work limitations for physical or personal reasons. Nearly everyone in that group is happy to
take on alternate jobs for a few weeks or months.
As we’ve mentioned, the changes here at
home are allowing some of our favorite Magi and neighbors to help out with global
family business work. We are not going
to get into the financial or economic issues that seem to be as big a story
around the world as the actual virus, but can point out that our family businesses
don’t have most of those serious problems because we don’t have any debt issues
that really is a problem for so many other companies. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have issues –
particularly with businesses like hotels and restaurants. Those challenges are also opportunities –
particularly when it comes to helping out through our charities. Helping to make that happen does take effort
and time, but Mom has also done a lot since taking over the family business to
be ready for handling emergencies – whether local or widespread. We’re not helping out with that work, but our
lab and archives work is still important too; and that’s true for other Magi keeping
busy with their regular jobs.
That’s enough for today. Writing about every detail is something that
we can spread out as we go along and deal with our semi-shutdown; and it would
be a downer to include all of the bad news every day too. Don’t take that the wrong way – we do take
this very seriously, but we also need to always remember all of the blessings
in our lives; since we are healthy; live in an amazing community; and it is
possible to deal with serious problems with joy and love being part of the
solution.
Okay, that’s all for now. We’ll get some sleep; and then continue with
our coronavirus home-schooling adventures with our best friends tomorrow! Stay tuned – every day is likely going to be
very interesting – even while we’re stuck at home or the lab for most of each
day.
This is Ehlana and Ethan Proctor; live from
the hidden home of the Magi of the Light – and May the Magi Force be with you!
