I've been thinking about how the current sacrifice we're all making stacks up. Not that there's a contest or anything, but if there were, I'm not sure we'd win.

I'm remembering stories my mother told about WWII. She wasn't in isolation, but in some sense, she was. Gasoline was rationed, so even though her parents were only 30 miles away, she couldn't get to them easily.

Most foods were rationed. I believe grocers delivered, but the choices were extremely limited. Phone calls (if you were fortunate enough to have a phone) were shared with others on the party line, and long-distance phone calls (to her mother) were prohibitively expensive. Only for emergencies.

Your kid has measles and is running a high fever? Write a letter to your mom and wait a week for the turnaround. And my husband's mom in England spent the war years (her teen years) listening to bombs drop in her neighborhood many nights. She would have gladly traded her lot with that of my mother.

No instant texts. No Facetime (or equivalent). No virtual meetings with friends. No 24/7 entertainment on streaming channels. No downloading any ebook that takes your fancy. No funny memes to give multiple daily snort-laughs.

I don't like what's happening now one little bit. I couldn't have predicted this on the best (or worst) day I ever had. But the spirits of my parents tell me we can do this.

Stay well, my cherished family and friends. In addition to the above rantlet, I count all of you as blessings.

A 1969 graduate of Russellville High School, Cathy and her husband live in Las Cruces, N.M. The LoJo would welcome Guest Articles about people's experiences in handling the Coronavirus effects on school, work, family and social distancing. No politics, please. We reserve the right to edit and or reject submissions. Email them to jimturner@loganjournal.com.