This morning, I woke to the sound of gentle rain on my tin roof. For those of you with metal roofs, you know the peaceful and comforting sound it makes. Coupled with the warmer summer temperatures, this combination lured me to the front porch with my morning cup of tea. How gracious is our God? He is gracious beyond all human capability to understand. I enjoyed a quiet time worshipping a God who considered this creation “good” and wondered about the time when we would enjoy a new creation, a heaven. Thank you, Lord, for this lovely Sunday morning blessing.
I watched church service on television this morning. First Baptist has shut down for the next 7-14 days until we can get a grip on this latest outbreak of Covid. Like many people around the world, I am frustrated with this epidemic. We don’t seem to have a consistent voice of reason who will explain coherently how we are to proceed.
The paraphrase of the article I wrote last week, which the newspaper graciously published without a reference, was from a very lengthy and scientific article by Professor Liguo Zhang of Duke University. The actual site is Liguo Zhang et al., “Reverse-Transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA Can Integrate into the Genome of Cultured Human Cells and Can Be Expressed in Patient-Derived Tissues,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 118, no. 21 (May 25, 2021): e2105968118, doi:10.1073/ pnas.2105968118. Given its scientific language and complicated arguments, my paraphrasing may not be as precise as it needs to be. Out of the smudge of scientific jargon, my takeaway was there is so much more we don’t understand about this gain-of-function virus, as the National Academy of Sciences proclaims.
“There is much ethically and morally that must be examined” for this type of genetic manipulation. I don’t believe we are equipped to play God. So, the only advice I have is do what you know is right to protect yourself and your loved ones. The choice to wear a mask or not is up to you. I just hope and pray we can make it through this variant and the one to come. The next variant is coming up from South America, and since we have an open border, we can assume it will arrive here. It would be wise to get the vaccine to lessen the effects of the variant, but again the choice is yours. This is a free country, but like I tell my students: whatever choice you make, examine the pros and cons, and don’t complain when it goes wrong. You made the choice knowing the result.
Another article I read was SARS-CoV-2 Biology Points to Endogenous Retrovirus Design by Dr. Fazale Rana, of the Reasons to Believe Organization. Also, Dr. Fauci has opined that “I’ve never seen a single virus—that is, one pathogen—have a range where 20% to 40% of the people have no symptoms.” The MIT organization was mentioned in that same article. We still have much to learn about this manipulated virus.
Meet the Coyotes night was a success. Spirits were high on both sides of the field. These games are important to coaches and athletes alike. A game is the “proof of the pudding,” so to speak. Did all those weeks of practice produce the right goal? Lometa had a strong group of players, and overall, it was a good cameo of what’s to come. Our cheerleaders gave us a display of their talents, and the evening was capped with free ice cream. Friday nights are alive in Richland Springs again!
Mr. Womack has been wearing a multitude of hats these past weeks. I’m sure the load has been a little stressful at times. He was out on the football field Friday assisting with the coaching since Coach Burkhart was ill. He is a man of many talents, and he is on a mission to make us more successful than we were before. He gets to start with a healthy budget, seasoned teachers, and a cooperative school board.
Coupled with Mr. Womack’s talents, it’s conceivable Richland Springs can be an example of excellence to the communities around us. Our goal is to become an A-grade performing school.
Prayers are needed for the Greg Lewis family and for the Daryl Breedlove family. Both men will be sorely missed by their families. We have multiple members of the community with Covid cases and several battling cancers. I want to give a shout out to Louise Hyman, Vera Ralston, Micki and Ricky Allen, and George and Donna Hill. Age and sickness are keeping them close to loved ones so that they can be assisted with daily needs.
Pray for the turmoil in our country, for our leaders as they make decisions and for protection from this horrible disease. Pray for those who protect us, and face danger so that we can sleep safely in our beds. Most importantly, pray for our precious troops and their families. Watch out for wandering school children; have a wonderful week.