Finding Ourselves with Chika, Curfew and COVID-19

During COVID-19 quarantine, I have been reading many books especially my favorite authors like Mitch Albom. I have enjoyed all of his books especially Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Next Person You Meet in Heaven: The Sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family came out at the end of 2019 but I made time to read it during quarantine.

This story is about Chika Jeune who was born in 2010 just prior to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As a three year old, she was brought to the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Mitch Albom and his wife, Janine opened and where they have helped many children. When she was five, it was discovered that she had a serious illness and needed treatment that could not be provided in Haiti.

Her disease did take her life within two years but Chika’s love, humor and personality shine through the pages of this book and Mitch Albom’s heart. What does it mean to be a family? Who do you fight for? What gives your life meaning?

Especially during this time of COVID-19, quarantine, curfews across many cities in America and senseless violence which has brought out the National Guard for assistance, I wanted to share these quotes below that inspired me from the book, Finding Chika.

To this day, it pains me. There are many kinds of selfishness in this world, but the most selfish is hoarding time, because none of us know how much we have, and it is an affront to God to assume there will be more.

“Dying is only one thing to be sad about, Mitch. Living unhappily is something else”

The most precious thing you can give someone is your time, Chika, because you can never get it back.

But none of us are assured of tomorrow. It’s what we do with today that makes an impact.

Chika filled every day. She drank it in. She lived it up. And always, always, she affected someone, most often by making them smile.

Families are like pieces of art, they can be made from many materials.

All flower photos by Lisa Niver with #LGV60ThinQ

during COVID-19 walks around the block.

Human Touch

A new serialized story of hope during the coronavirus pandemic, set in the moment we are all living through together. “Human Touch” is being written by Mitch Albom in the present, one week at a time.

“I am offering this new work to readers everywhere. It is my hope that the story will provide a welcome diversion in our suddenly shut-in world. Writing is my art form. It is the least I can give. If you enjoy the story, I encourage those who can to donate to Detroit Beats Covid-19!, a relief effort in my hometown of Detroit, which is being so hard hit by this pandemic.”