Be safe, be kind...

Before our family went into lockdown, four days ago, our youngest wrote a little note for us as an encouragement which I thought to share with you today.

It's a reminder about being kind to each other whilst sharing time together in an intimate space and also being mindful and safe especially if going outside or shopping, taking a walk etc.

Some of the new languaging that I've learned over the last few weeks since COVID-19 or Coronavirus became a very real part of our lives includes:

• bubble - an imagined sphere that surrounds you and the immediate people who are living with you during the lockdown.
• social distancing - keeping your distance (around 2 metres) from others.
• pandemic - an epidemic (an outbreak of a disease or virus etc. that has spread within a geographical area) that has spread throughout countries and continents that has affected a large population.
• lockdown - remaining 'locked' within your home and in your 'bubble' as directed by the government in order to control the virus by not infecting others through social interactions.
• flattening the curve - bringing about means such as 'social distancing' in order to not have so many people catching the virus and steepening the curve (a statistical graphic). Fewer people infected means a flatter curve.
• community transmission - this is a concern for any government in that this means that a person/people have caught the virus within a community and is not traceable as to how they received it i.e. usually through travel, or infected by someone that they know.

There are probably more terms that you've come across but these come to mind with a reminder once again to keep in touch with your loved ones and neighbours especially those who are in the vulnerable group of the elderly over 65 years and those with health conditions etc.

As yesterday, with my brother in Melbourne, who video called us through Messenger, as a group, with my brother in Sydney, my sister and mum a few blocks away and sharing about what's happening in Australia with people working from home and the lockdown in NZ, it just brought us one step closer in supporting and sharing with each other but what's happening and sending our love to our families overseas.

An important time to reach out and contact those who might otherwise be lonely, scared or depressed in these uncertain times. Love and God's blessings of protection be with us all...