Good News
In August 1940, Nazi warplanes numbering in the thousands took flight from France with their targets set for the British Isles – the Battle of Britain had begun. After the Nazis had seized France & other portions of Western Europe in short order, their assumption was the taking of Britain would be the same.
Hermann Goring, leader of the Luftwaffe (the German Air Force, known as the strongest and best-trained in the world at that time), had received intelligence reports that Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) was nearly defeated. With the Luftwaffe air raiding units and the power of the Nazi forces, it was only a matter of time before Britain fell – or so was the prevailing thought within Nazi leadership.
However, throughout this period the British had been diligently preparing for possible air or land assaults – to include an incredible increase in the productive capacity of fighter planes for the RAF and the development of an air defense network called the Dowding System.
The Battle of Britain lasted three and a half long months. They were dark days with no end in sight. Britain’s newly minted Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was intentional in sharing the seriousness of the struggle ahead with the people of Great Britain. But regardless of the bad news of the day (and there was plenty of it), Churchill never ran out of hope:
When I look back on the perils that have been overcome, upon the great mountain waves in which the gallant ship has driven, when I remember all that has gone wrong, and remember also all that has gone right, I feel sure we have no need to fear the tempest. Let it roar, and let it rage. We shall come through.
Winston Churchill in speech to Parliament on May 7, 1941
In the end, we all know the outcome – Germany’s defeat in the Battle of Britain was a turning point in the war, paving the way for the eventual defeat of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
While we wouldn’t pretend to compare the great Battle of Britain with our global fight against COVID-19, there is one potential similarity – it’s hard to find good news right now.
In some way, shape, or form, every family across the globe has been impacted by COVID-19. Businesses and communities worldwide have shuttered their doors. With much of our daily lives having been altered and having no clear view of what the future holds, a natural human reaction to all of this is fear – fear for ourselves, our family/friends, and our community.
While fear is a natural human emotion, it’s important during uncertain times to see the counterbalance of fear – hope. They may be challenging to recognize at this time, but here are a few reasons to remain hopeful in our present circumstance.
- From nurses, doctors, and all our medical professionals working tirelessly on the front lines, we have the best minds in the world addressing critical care. While we ache at any loss, the work from these fine people has saved lives.
- The mobilization of private enterprise to meet the growing needs of society. From distilleries making hand sanitizer to car manufacturers making ventilators, private enterprise has answered the call. This is an amazing thing to watch and bodes well for our future after this season has passed.
- The brightest minds on earth are working hard to develop a vaccine. We have no way of knowing what treatments may be successful, or when they may be available, but a few are showing initial promise.
- The Senate passed the largest financial package ($2.2 Trillion) in US history with unanimous consent. While our recent political history has felt more polarized than ever, this crisis has shown that bipartisanship is alive (whether you agree or disagree with the passing of the Bill).
While this coming week’s news could be worse than last week, we firmly believe that this is a time in our history (as with every other crisis we’ve encountered) that will pass. Be encouraged that our country (and our world) has seen a myriad of challenges before, and we will come out on the other side of this better than how we entered it.
To close this note with another quote from Winston Churchill, “One always measures friendships by how they show up in bad weather.” Should anyone need an ear to listen (or someone to pick up groceries ) our team stands ready to serve you in ways we couldn’t have predicted a couple of months ago. Stay well and keep the faith!