One day, hopefully soon, when this coronavirus pandemic is over, and we return to our new normal, I hope we remember just how valuable those people are in our community who are still working to provide us with our daily needs.
There is nothing wrong, of course, with loving sports and beings fans of the great athletes we see coming through our television sets each night. There is also nothing wrong with loving our favorite musicians or movie stars. These celebrities have brought a lot of joy to the lives of many, and I am looking forward, like many of you, for the games and concerts to start once again and the movie theaters to reopen.
But, if this last week, has taught or reaffirmed anything to us it is how thankful we need to be to those still working in our community to help keep us safe, healthy and fed.
“Jesus is present in the checkout line.”
When I was still living in Collierville, Tenn., this was the line that Father Ernie used to say from time to time during his homilies. It always struck a chord with me because of how true it seemed. Whenever I was waiting in line at the grocery store or at my favorite fast food joint and I became impatient, I would take a deep breath and say to myself “Jesus is present in the checkout line.”
Recently, however, this line has a new meaning for me. I think of it when I watch those in our community still working at our pharmacies, restaurants and gas stations.
It was extremely late a couple of nights ago and I was dying for some Gatorade. I had been practicing social distancing for a couple of days, but I drove to a local gas station and said a little prayer that it would be open, and to my relief it was.
When I got to the counter, I told the lady, named Arsha, how thankful I was that she was there to keep the store open.
She told me that she was debating on whether or not to come to work, but in the end decided to come so the store would remain open.
I thanked her a couple of times, and I told her how grateful I was for her. Although I did not “need” the Gatorade, it definitely helped lift my spirits for that night. We all need to thank the work being done by people like Arsha.
And, hopefully, when this current crisis is over, we won’t forget it. No matter how much fun we have while watching our favorite teams win.
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Since there will likely be no sports going on in our community for the foreseeable future, I would like to use this sports section space to spotlight some of our great young athletes who are unable to play right now.
This is especially true for high school seniors who would have been participating in spring sports right now.
So, if you are a high school coach and know of an athlete that deserves some recognition, send me an email so I can write about this athlete in the newspaper. Of course, all my interviews can be done over the phone.
Also, if any teams out there are finding ways to do positive things in the community in these times, I would love to tell your stories. Please contact me.
David Healy is sports editor of the Delta Democrat-Times. He can be reached at dhealy@ddtonline.com.
