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Commentary: While adjusting to 'new normal,' cherish the abundance of love on First Coast

"I’ve watched my neighborhood come together to lift one another up. The sense of community has never felt tighter." Heather Crawford, First Coast News

FLAGLER ESTATES, St. Johns County — Heather Crawford, First Coast News 

If your life is anything like mine, today is vastly different than it was just a month ago. While my day starts the same as it always has with me reading the Bible, the rest of my day is radically different. 

Yesterday I attended our newsroom editorial meeting and interviewed three people via Zoom. I wrote two stories on people in our community helping each other, edited one of them for television, wrote a story and anchored four newscasts, all from the comfort of my home. I’ve learned to set up my own live shots from my living room, and my children have too.

Credit: Heather Crawford
My son setting up my camera for the evening newscasts

I am now able to seamlessly communicate with my producer, director, editor, photographer, meteorologist and co-anchor as we were all miles apart. I also now get to sit down and have dinner with my family, something that before the coronavirus pandemic I rarely got to do on days when I was working.

Credit: First Coast News
Everyone but the director is at working from home as we prepare for the evening newscasts.

I’m planning a virtual birthday party for the first time ever to celebrate my daughter’s 9th birthday and my son’s 11th birthday. It will be the first time in their lives that all our family from Florida to North Carolina to Texas will be together on their special days.

Credit: Heather Crawford
These are pictures of hope.

I’ve watched my neighborhood come together to lift one another up. The sense of community has never felt tighter. I’ve seen dozens of families do drive-by birthday parades every day to make sure our children know how much they are loved. I’ve seen countless people selflessly give their time and energy to help one another. They have made homemade masks to give away and retired firefighters have answered the call to return to the front lines as their brothers and sisters are in quarantine.  

Credit: RVs 4 MDs Facebook Page
RVs for MDs Facebook group is connecting healthcare workers with RVs.

I’ve seen strangers on our First Coast and across the country lend their RVs to help nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the lines have a safe place to lay their heads at night, so they don’t expose their families to COVID-19. I’ve seen factories overnight switch their entire product lines to make personal protective gear to help protect our heroes. I’ve seen a company pay its employees to volunteer at food banks instead of laying them off and have them go hungry. 

I’ve seen our loving community chip in from $5 to thousands of dollars to help a paramedic reunite with her young son receiving hospice care. I’ve seen teachers love on their students from afar and moms and dads jump into the role of homeschool teacher all while figuring out how to work from home. I’ve seen children spread messages of hope and love. I’ve seen mentors encourage students through virtual mentoring. I’ve seen a tattoo artist out of work find a new line of unpaid work feeding families with nowhere else to turn. I’ve seen an NFL player step up to help rescue dogs find forever homes. I’ve seen churches find new ways to reach thousands while spreading a message of love and hope and faith. I've seen my own Disciple Group encourage and lift each other up through our weekly online gatherings as we join together in prayer.

Credit: Heather Crawford
I now get to spend so much more time with my family.

If the past month has taught me anything, it’s that we live in a great community and a great country that truly loves one another and is here for one another. We’re not alone. We’re in this together. We will get through this together.

"Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13 

"While we practice social distancing, I've never felt more of a sense of community than I do now. We are in this together. We will get through this together." -- Heather Crawford, First Coast News 

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