By Gary Lloyd

This coronavirus stuff sucks. I’ll begin with that. It’s obvious.

It has ended lives and made hundreds of thousands fear for theirs. It has stunted life for much of the world. Scary.

But, I’ve also seen so much good these past few weeks in quarantine. Here are just some of those things that have stood out.

I saw Major League Baseball tweet a montage video of players handing foul balls and gear to fans, along with older fans gifting foul balls to kids. Beautiful.

I saw families in a cul-de-sac having a social distancing Wednesday night Bible study in outdoor chairs. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” says Matthew 18:20.

I have seen Italians singing to each other from their balconies, and I know you have seen it by now, too.

I have seen a famous Mr. Rogers quote more than a few times on Facebook timelines: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” The helpers have been everywhere during this pandemic.

I have seen friends gather via Zoom or WebEx during their usual weeknight cocktail hour. They catch up from home for now.

I have seen penguins in a Chicago aquarium tour their own home during this pandemic, since humans have not been permitted inside. Watch a penguin hop down stairs and try not to smile.

I have seen an Arkansas pastor and his wife announce their gender reveal from inside their home on Facebook Live due to the coronavirus pandemic, and almost immediately after the video ended cars flooded the street in front of their house, honking horns and yelling their congratulations.

Over the weekend, I was spreading river rocks around our pink azaleas that line the front yard. They recently bloomed, and man, do they pop. This is our first spring here in this home, and I never imagined these flowers could be so bright. I had put out bird feed around 9:15 a.m. Saturday, and the sun didn’t burn through the cloud cover until close to 10:30 a.m. At about that time, the birds began to show up. Cardinals, sparrows, the occasional bluejay and woodpecker. I always watch the birds for some reason, but this weekend I was a little bit more observant. I think that is what I’m taking from this whole coronavirus pandemic. Life has slowed down, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. More appreciation for things. Less rush. More time outside observing, strolling the driveway with my two-month-old.

As I walked to grab another fifty-pound bag of rocks, the chorus line of LANCO’s “What I See” blared in my headphones.

“Cause what I see

Is a little piece of heaven this side of eternity…”

So, what about you? What have you seen?