These are trying times and we are all being affected. This pandemic means a different way of life for the next coming months, sending ripples of shutdown across the globe. On a lighter note, we are living through history, and we requested the help from our community to record it. While it might be something we all want to avoid thinking about right now, it’s something we will want to remember down the road. Everyone’s stories and feelings are valid, and we want to hear yours. If you would like to submit you own perspective, email it to [email protected]. As a staff, the LN North Star has gathered multiple distinct perspectives from the community in dealing with this hectic time. Today, we will be focusing on responses from individuals at high risk.

Pam Edwards

My health issues are COPD and Vascular Problems. When it’s cold outside it makes it very hard to breath, so I have to make sure that I cover up my nose and mouth. When the virus started and people said we need to keep our nose and mouth covered I didn’t have a problem because I was already doing it . Now touching my face with my hands I did not realize how much I did that and that was kinda hard to break. I work outside my home at Best Buy.  I’m a customer service rep. People pay for things with money and that money has all kinds of germs and bacteria on it. I make sure to wash my hands after those sales. Best Buy was really nice to their employees by letting us off work for a month with pay, but there came a time where they couldn’t do that anymore, so we had to get laid off. That leaves me to draw for unemployment. I was at home for a month, gained a little weight, and cleaned the house. My husband doesn’t talk to me anymore. I have enjoyed the time I had with my grandkids.

Bill Johnson

I’ve been alive for a long time. I’ll be 85 in June and I’ve seen remarkable things in my lifetime. However, I have never seen anything like this. People are so scared and that is unbelievable to me. It feels like I’m living in a ghost town. The streets are so empty and bare. Grocery stores are running low on food. My grandson sent me pictures of empty shelves at the store. He’s a worker there. I fear for his safety there isn’t enough being done to protect people who still have to go to work. Even though I worry about my family, they worry more about me. I am an old man. I’m very vulnerable to this disease. My kids call me every day and tell me not to leave home. Whatever I need they’ll get it for me. When my son comes to check on me, he stands in the front yard, while I stand on the porch. We shout back and forth until he has a completed list of everything I need. I’ll tell you one thing, what drives me crazy about this disease is not knowing when I can see my family again. They’re my rock. They’re all I’ve got. I am confident that this nation will bounce back. Like I said, I’m old and I’ve lived through other chaotic times. I was born in the middle of the Great Depression in the deep south. My family was dirt poor and my father was desperate for a job. I remember when FDR died. I watched the news when the Civil Rights protest broke out. I saw Nixon’s resignation speech. I’m telling you this so that everyone remembers to keep hope alive. We are a resilient country who has survived other uncertain times, so I know we’ll be alright.

Lisa Sole

I wasn’t quite sure what to think when the news first broke about the Corona virus and needing to stay home. This is uncharted territory as we’ve never been through anything like this before. However, soon a bunch of mixed feelings started to arise. My husband and I both have compromised respiratory systems. So fear and worrisome feelings quickly presented themselves. If either of us contracted the Corona virus it could very possibly be the last of our earthly life. So with this new reality, staying home and not being around others seemed to be the best and most calming solution.

I will say it was hard to stay in a positive routine and not just watch Netflix all day and night. But as time tends to do, our family has adjusted and we all have found a positive routine, peace and a small light at the end of the tunnel. This virus has brought many laughs and conversations amongst us that probably wouldn’t have taken place. For that, I am so grateful. We definitely miss our family, close friends and church family. We all look forward to when we can be with each other again. My prayer is that we as a world will continue to share and be inspired by others. To treat each other with kindness and generous hearts. To continue to give the Media those inspiring and positive stories that we love hearing and that make us more Christ like! So when this pandemic is over we all have something to be proud of! Blessings to all.

Debra Proffitt

April 12, 2020, Easter Sunday: an Easter like no other! As I watch mass on TV, our local clergy is holding its holiday service to a roomful of empty pews. Empty pews on the most holy day on the Christian calendar! We’re under attack by the “invisible enemy,” the novel coronavirus. This enemy will give our time here a chapter for history books. Life has been altered, possibly forever! A future without handshakes or hugs; face masks and social distancing – I can’t imagine! They refer to this as the possible “new normal.”

 My husband was presumed to have had COVID-19 early on.  Of course we are not 100 percent sure as at the time, early March, there were not enough test kits for him to be tested.  He had the classic symptoms including fever, body aches, terrible cough with trouble breathing, and no energy – just plain sick!  It was 16 days before he was symptom-free. Sixteen days sequestered in our room, the door closed and the air purifier being run 24/7. Thank goodness we’re lucky in that we have a bathroom, or what the realtors call an on-suite. He was able to be totally alone except for the times I would check on him or bring him hot liquids. Since this was early-on and not knowing too much about the virus, I would literally hold my breath and run in and out. So very scary.

What I miss the most is family. While we are under a state-wide stay-at-home order by our governor, I have been sequestered in my home with my ailing 86 year old dad and my husband. My dad is considered high risk because of his many ailments and age. In fact, anyone over 60 is considered high risk. At ONLY 60 I’ve never been made to feel so old before! But I digress. It is because of my dad that I have stayed away from my kids and their kids. This has been the hardest! I miss hugs and kisses from them all. I miss Sunday dinners and dates to the movies. Early on, we would meet at our state park to enjoy some hiking, a pastime we’ve always enjoyed together. Sadly, these rendezvous’ were short lived as we began feeling guilty that perhaps we were overstepping our boundaries. We were to keep a distance of six feet in what the government would term “social distancing.” Social Distancing was becoming all but possible when the amount of people with the same yearning for nature would come in droves. So now we use our Echo devices or phones to FaceTime the ones we love. Thank God for technology.

So today, Easter, 2020 there will be no grandkids hunting Easter eggs, no setting of the dining table in anticipation of a family dinner and no formal church going. Oh, but there will be ham! I mean who can resist a spiral ham?! Of course it will be too much for just three people so we will don our masks and deliver our kids’ main dish – deviled eggs and green bean casserole is on the.