The Long Wait

I calmly waited behind over 1,200 people in queue online to schedule Thea to get her first COVID-19 vaccine. It took an hour to watch the numbers dwindle, seeing how many folks were ahead of me, just to sign-up children ages 6 months to 4 years for the shot. After an hour, it was finally my turn, and I was redirected to another page where I had to fill out her full name and date of birth, and pick a time-slot. As soon as I got confirmation of our 9:55AM, July 10th appointment, I began to cry. Mind you, I was sitting at my desk at work! I realized I was starting to bawl, so I quietly excused myself and went to let it out in the ladies room for a few minutes.

Yesterday, I finally worked up the nerve to set up Isaac’s 5-year checkup. While his birthday is on Friday, he won’t be able to be seen for another 3 weeks because unbeknownst to me, summer is BUSY with lots of parents taking their kids in for their pre-school checkups and updates that they’ve been pushing back all year long. Isaac is scheduled to get HIS first COVID-19 shot at that appointment too, but he’s aged into the next age group.

You see, I’ve had all of these plans for a long time, especially the part about getting my children vaccinated against this new disease that’s been changing our lives for the last 2.5 years. If I could have had my way, I would have been able to get the Pfizer shots for my kids in time for Christmas last year! But Pfizer and the FDA had other plans. It wasn’t good enough yet, not for the youngest population. Some people trust in God and even go so far in that, that they reject science. I like to trust that science is God-inspired, giving us inquisitive minds and adventurous hearts so that we will try to better understand the inner workings of ourselves and the world around us.

King Solomon wrote,

I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! Ecclesiastes 1:13 NIV

After that, King Solomon goes on to say that all is madness and folly. But, he makes a decent point, that it is good to seek to understand, and there is nothing inherently wrong in wanting to know more. We thirst to figure things out! And I desire to let my whole family have an extra layer of protection that comes from medicine, so that we can have better odds of staying healthy around our immune-compromised family members.

This has been a long time coming. We’ve had to wait 6 more months longer than anticipated. I hope and pray that this means God had a plan to orchestrate this so that my children would have a BETTER chance at an effective vaccine than they would have had 6 months ago. Sure, we already had COVID in January, but science is proving that reinfection is very possible. Inoculation is one of the best ways to help lower that risk and keep the disease from being serious. I may have my plans, but God’s will is what’s setting the bar.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9 NIV

And with this, I wish you all good health, my friends, and may we all find that our plans mesh with the Lord’s, who goes before us, and lays down our path. I’m very excited for my children to get their shots, just like I’ve been relieved to get them an extra layer of immunity against Measles, Chickenpox, Hepatitis, Rubella, Tetanus, and so much more. We live in exciting times where science can adapt for even the smallest members of our community. I thank God for that.