The last time this happened

Despite what my children think, I am too young to remember World War II. My parents, however, lived through that time. It was the last time in American history when everyone's lives changed.

We forget there was rationing. People were allotted only a certain amount of meat, sugar and butter. Only the sugar was a problem for my people; they had cattle and a milk cow. It was hard on one cousin, however. He had a still in the swamp and needed sugar for the shine.

Tires and gasoline were rationed. When my parents got married, my Uncle J.N., who had a service station, swapped out tires for my Daddy so he and Mama could drive off on their honeymoon. I don't know how they scrounged up the gas.

Household goods were not easily obtained. Electricity had come to my family's ranch, but they couldn't buy a refrigerator. Daddy knew Mr. J.W. Crews had a refrigerator in his camp house and somehow talked him into letting him have it until he could buy one.

Every town within a hundred miles of the coast organized lookouts for enemy planes. People grew victory gardens so they could get fresh vegetables. There was no TV but almost everyone had a radio and listened hungrily to the nightly news.

The young men were off fighting, and those too old to fight were being pushed to produce. Women started doing work they had never done before. My mother attended Florida Southern College during the war. There were almost no male students. The women were expected to help constructing new buildings on campus. My mother told of pushing wheelbarrows of concrete to build sidewalks across the campus. In those days, you rolled up your sleeves, and you did what you had to do.

My father was not drafted and did not volunteer. He was a farmer and the sole provider of his mother. He fought the war by growing the food that was needed. Other family members went off to war. My stepfather, Lawrence, trained as a pilot and flew B-24s. My cousin, Top Barlow, parachuted into Sicily and Italy and landed at Anzio. My Uncle Pete joined the Navy. Once, he roped a practice torpedo to get it back on board the ship. To win World War II, everyone had to do their part.

The wars that followed World War II were different. They were distant affairs. Korea and Vietnam were difficult because it was hard to know what winning looked like. The war was fought by draftees while the elite took deferments in college or grad school.

In the first Gulf War, the military mobilized, but nothing was rationed. After 9/11, again we went to war, the war we are still in. Again, it has been hard to define victory. Families of military members are impacted. In a town like mine, with a large base, it is our neighbors who go off and fight and return. Sometimes, they don't come back. But for most of our country, this war is a headline, a campaign issue. Amazon is still bringing us everything we need.

The coronavirus pandemic is the first time since World War II every American's life has changed. Whatever normal was for us three weeks ago has changed. Getting toilet paper and Lysol has become a quest. We're working from home. Churches have gone virtual. In my town, the movie theater, the car wash and the YMCA have all shut down. People are losing jobs. Medical workers are courageously going in to wage war on a virus that can't be seen with the naked eye. School is out. Teachers are teaching virtually. It is looking like there will be no graduation from kindergarten or college this year, just a diploma in the mail.

The good news is people are adjusting. We're figuring it out. Yes, we are fighting anxieties and some depression, but we're fighting. We will get through this. COVID-19 will not last forever. There is more resilience in people than we think.

Through all these difficult days, we need to remember God is with us. At the end of his life, after the people of God had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses reminded his people: "The Lord has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years, the LORD your God has been with you and you have not lacked anything (Deuteronomy 2:7)."

The Lord is watching over us. No matter how long this lasts, no matter how abnormal these days, the Lord is watching over us. Thanks be to God.

The Rev. Dr. Clay Smith is the lead pastor of Alice Drive Baptist Church in Sumter.