The Choices We Make

Last fall, my brother’s daughter and her husband decided they did not want to raise their 2 children in the Los Angeles metro area. They sold their house and moved to Idaho, and my brother and his wife also sold up and moved to Idaho.

I understand the motivation. We did the same thing. When our son was about 2, we sold the house, packed up, and moved to Oregon. My parents, however, did not follow us because they had other children living there. Good thing too, because we only stayed in Oregon 2 years before moving here.

Thursday morning, my brother was sitting in his back yard having a “cuppa caawfee” (he says this like John Wayne might say it – and of course I can’t write it like he would say it -- and it is hilarious) and decided to call me.

We had a nice visit. At one point he wanted to know “how are your teeth?” (How are my teeth? Why in the world does he want to know about my teeth?). “Oh, I just spent $900 on a crown – cracked filling that’s probably 40 years old – but other than that they are fine. My gums are healthy and I haven’t had a cavity in long time…” I guess he wanted to talk about his teeth, which he did.

And then I was dismayed to learn that he and his wife, Debbie, have not been vaccinated against COVID and that they don’t intend to. Debbie says: “What’s the worst that can happen? We go to see Jesus.” Well, yeah, that’s true but…

I am concerned about my brother, especially as the COVID variants sweep the country and only 37% of the people in Idaho have received both vaccinations. Not much chance of “herd immunity” with that low rate.

Closer to home, our next door neighbor (young man, late 40s) died of COVID earlier in the week. A friend’s son-in-law (also a young man) died of COVID Thursday evening.

The vaccination rate in our county is 20%, and this area of Missouri has made the national news several times in the last weeks because of spikes in COVID, with 97% of patients filling the hospitals not vaccinated.  

I understand that people have researched COVID and the vaccine—whether the information they have looked at is from reliable sources or misinformation from anti-vaxers—and have made their own personal choice. I understand that vaccination is not a guarantee that the vaccinated person will escape getting COVID. I also understand that on issues where people are set in their ways, it's futile to try to change their minds.

So, all I can do is pray for God’s protection for my precious brother and his wife and hope that their choice doesn’t have disastrous consequences.