With all the news about canceled Masses, state lock downs and closed stores and schools,  News Production students are trying to think about anything that might count as a positive in their lives that has come about because of this virus.

Editor Note: We are updating this story as reflections come in from our staff and our readers. This story was last updated on May 6.

Take a look at what they think, then tell us what you think in the poll below.

“My mom told us yesterday that we’re visiting some friends today, and no joke, it was just a weird thought.  We’ve been in quarantine for almost three months now, and it seems borderline abnormal to be visiting friends again.” -Lauren Bosack, CA (May 13)

“New York is supposed to begin opening up at the end of this week! While I know that this ‘restart’ will be slow, it is hard to keep myself from calling up all my friends and having a masquerade party right now!” – ShaLynne Ouellette, NY (May 11)

“One thing that is extremely entertaining about this pandemic is all the different and often bizarre masks out there. Styles of masks can range from regular cloth masks to people using swimming goggles and snorkels with a piece of cotton on the top. Who would have thought that everyone in the world would be playing dress up!” – Dan Gorrell, TX (May 7)

“I always had trouble with the saying ‘find the light in the dark’ because it can be so hard to do.  Now, in quarantine, I’ve started taking it literally, and not one night goes by when I don’t stare out the window in search of the moon.  It’s the most tranquil part of my day, and it never ceases to reveal my little blessings in disguise.”  -Lauren Bosack (May 6)

“Being in quarantine made me realize how social I really am. I am very grateful that our state is opening back up and allowing us to do more than before. While I love my family, I am very ready to see someone else too!” -Rebecca Hilger, OK (May 5)

“We have entered the month of May, Our Lady’s special month. Dear Queen Mother, bless us all this month with heath and wisdom!” – ShaLynne Ouellette, NY (May 5)

“As this school year draws to a close, my Junior year,  I have a bittersweet feeling about its ending. I wistfully wish I was not entering into my last year of high school, but rather was just beginning all over again. Despite this feeling of nostalgia, the future presents an exciting and new adventure, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic adds a flavor of uncertainty. All in all, while the past is full of happy times and fond memories, the future holds adventure and happier times to come.” – Dan Gorrell TX (May 5)

“It is amazing to me to see how this pandemic has affected every person. Even my little brothers were singing an age-old tune with new words at lunch today:

‘Three little monkey’s jumping on a bed. /One fell off and bumped his head./ Mama called the doctor and the doctor said: There are too many patients here with COVID-19, you will have to fix him yourself!’ ” – ShaLynne Ouellette, NY (April 30)

“Williamson County, TX has now been under Shelter in Place orders for a little over a month. At the beginning I wasn’t that much bothered by this inconvenience except for the cancellation of the Track season. Now however I’m beginning to want to see my friends in person again. While Zoom, Skype and texting allow me to see and talk to them, it does not compare to actually interacting with them in person. Hopefully the loosening up of things in the coming weeks will resolve at least partially this problem. Meanwhile, I must be content and trust in God that this difficult time will end soon.” – Dan Gorrell, TX (April 30) 

“You know times are tough when you just had an interaction with your mailman, and are surprised that he even approached you. Things are not looking any better in my state, since you are now required to wear a mask in public, but I find that my interactions with people, my family friends, and strangers alike, have changed. There is a deeper appreciation for that person, I know that they are facing the same situation, and that they have almost the same pains as I do. And while this truth applies at any time, I see it more clearly now than ever before.” – ShaLynne Ouellette, NY (April 27)

“Something I’ve found myself really missing over the past few days is simply talking with my best friends face to face.  Just lying on the floor as we crack ourselves up over nonsense – it’s almost like a distant memory.  This time of being alone has really opened my mind to the realization of how important they are to me, and how blessed I am to have them in my life.” -Lauren Bosack (April 26)

“Today I heard that our governor is going to talk about opening up the churches again. This news is heartening to hear after going without Mass for so long. The Mass was given to us by God to cherish and preserve until the end of time. We must never again take the preciousness of such a gift for granted.” – Dan Gorrell (April 26)

“It’s always been my experience that you appreciate what you had more once you are deprived of it. When this is over, we should not forget to give thanks for the everyday things: time spent with friends, going outside and to the store at our leisure, our good health from day to day, and most of all for mass and the sacraments.” – Gwynith Hayden (April 23)

“Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and there is a pale green mist hovering on the treetops as the leaves begin to bud. So much beauty all around me, and so much time to really enjoy it.” -ShaLynne Ouellette (April 20) 

“Simply having more free time has released so much tension from the stresses that school can often bring.  And though I must say it’s not my favorite pastime, reading about Henry VIII when I have ample time hasn’t been all that bad.” -Lauren Bosack (April 18)

“Last week we celebrated Holy Saturday, the day when the Apostles were frightened and in doubt. Their Lord was dead, He was gone; what were they to do now, what would come next? Today we find ourselves facing the same fate: we are locked in our homes, not knowing what will come next, not knowing how we will recover from this, frightened and doubtful. But we know the end of the Easter story, and because of that we know that the fear of the Upper Room cannot last.” – ShaLynne Ouellette (April 17)

“I’ve found that being away from all my activities for a few weeks (although now I’m back to doing most of them, just online!) has helped me to re-assess and seriously consider which of them are actually beneficial to me and which of them I’m doing just because.” – Katherine Milliken (April 15)

“Yesterday marked the celebration of Easter, when Our Lord passed from death into life. It was very different to celebrate. Our Lord is risen! He is alive! We must go through the pain and sorrow of Good Friday in order to truly appreciate the joy of Easter. Our Easter is coming. It is coming, gently, just like the dawn.” -Kaki Williams (April 13)

“I often now feel like time has no meaning now, the same daily routine, with no bookends, no appointments, and no errands. However, I find that though time has no meaning each day does, as it is marked with its own catastrophes and joys, pains and moments of hilarity.” – ShaLynne Ouellette (April 9) 

“At last we have made it to the Triduum! After a Lent made doubly hard by restrictions due to COVID-19, we are on the edge of the Easter season.” – Dan Gorrell (April 9)

“One thing my sister and I have discovered while at home is how funny and entertaining it can be to run song lyrics through Google Translate a few times. (For example, it changed the line ‘And must my name until I die/ Be no more than an alibi?’ from Les Misérables to, ‘I have to keep my name until I die / isn’t it Alibaba?’)” -Samuel Milliken (April 8)

“Although I’m very sad to not be able to go to Mass for Easter, were it not for the coronavirus our family would have been broken up during Easter, as three of my older brothers would have still been at college. Now we can all be together as a family during this holy time.” – Katherine Milliken (April 8)

“Even though it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel (or if there is no light at the end of the tunnel), we must look for the glitter on the walls.” -Kaki Williams (April 7)

“ It’s hard to truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone. A missionary priest from India once told my Mom how spoiled the Church was in the United States. People in India walk for miles for a Mass once a month or even a year, knowing they could be killed along the way. Weekly Sunday Mass was something I took for granted because I always had it. We should use this time of waiting to deepen our desire for the Mass, and come to appreciate this amazing gift.” -Catherine Schmidt (April 7th) 

“As we get closer and closer to the Triduum, my heart aches. I miss Mass, especially now, but it is consoling for me to remember that Christ is present in the Tabernacle even if we cannot be with Him sacramentally. Now more than ever, I realize the importance of prayer.” – ShaLynne Ouellette (April 7)

“We normally have meetings at a park for Troops of St. George, but now because the shelter- in-place is in place, we had a meeting over Zoom. While it isn’t the same as an in-person meeting, it still beats not meeting at all.” – Dan Gorrell (April 6)

“There are a lot of tasks–lots of cleaning out and organizing–that I have previously pushed out of my mind (“Oh, I’ll do that when I have more time”). Now that we’re quarantined, I have no excuse not to do them, so I have been extra productive.” -Anne Marie Ledoux (April 6).

“I knew before we were in quarantine that I needed to be more productive during school hours, as well as make more time for my family.  Now that we’re actually in quarantine, I’ve been able to achieve both of these things, and it’s really helped to bring about a less stressful and happy life at home.” -Lauren Bosack (April 4)

“It is seven days until Good Friday, the day on which the Word was nailed to a tree in order to deliver us from our sins. This Lenten Journey through the Desert has been made even more challenging by this pandemic, but finally we are in sight of the oasis of Easter.” – Dan Gorrell (April 3)

“Six feet is a lot farther than it looks” -Kaki Williams (April 2)

“Staying connected to my friends through video chats and texting has not only been a nice distraction, but even a bittersweet sort of fun.”  – ShaLynne Ouellette (April 2)

“God brings good out of the bad. The best example is the Death and Resurrection of His Son. It seemed as if Death had just conquered another human being, but Jesus rose from the grave, bringing eternal life out of death. God is working in the same way regarding this pandemic. It is true that many are sick and dying, but there are also many happy events occurring because of this terrible event. Parents have more time for interacting with their kids more than they used to and perhaps awareness is increasing about the importance of the family.” – Dan Gorrell (March 31) 

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Reader Response To Covid-19 Question

“Never in my life would I think that I would be attending (well, watching) Mass in my pajamas…” – William Temple (March 29)

“That $8.99 a month for Netflix is so worth it.” -Kaki Williams (March 29)

“Our generation is so blessed to have the ability to watch the Mass when we cannot attend personally.” – Dan Gorrell (March 29)

“This difficult time is history in the making. All should do their best to record the good and happy events of this time, or else only the bad and melancholy happenings will be recorded.” – Dan Gorrell (March 28)

“We are so lucky to have programs like Skype or Zoom that enable us to socialize with our friends and family during this difficult time of separation.” – Dan Gorrell (March 27)

“Without daily track practice, my family is able to take walks together more often.” -Dan Gorrell (March 25)

“It is a very hopeful sign to see the highway by my house coming back to life.” – ShaLynne (March 26)

“Though I missed going to Mass yesterday, I am very happy that we live in an age where we can at least watch the Mass.” – ShaLynne Ouellette (March 22)

 “I’ve never been more productive.” -Kaki Williams (March 23)

“In the face of canceled Mass and closed churches, my family and I have added more prayers to our daily routine. I’ve learned to appreciate our prayers as a family more than ever, even though I can’t wait for churches to open again!” – Gwynith Hayden

“Just listening to the birds singing and watching the plants grow has a whole new meaning in quarantine. Life will go on, life does go on, and life is good now.” – ShaLynne Ouellette

“Before the possibility of being quarantined came around, I wasn’t getting outside as often as I should have been, but now that I know it could very well occur, I’ve been gaining a little more fresh air and exercise from being outside.”- Lauren Bosack

“It’s nice to have so much time to spend with family. My brothers and I like to make movies together, and we’re already thinking up an idea for a new movie to film now that we’re all home together.” – Katherine Milliken

“Quarantine gives you a lot more free time.” – Daniel Gorrell