Mayhem and encouragement.

Contradictory title I know. 
We went to our local Sainsbury's supermarket this morning at the hour allotted for over 70's, and the vulnerable. 8.00 am - 9.00 am.  
When we arrived at 7.45 am the car park was almost full, and the queue snaked round the the outside. 
     Inside, all the toilet rolls and cleaning stuffs had already been taken. We could see trolleys filled with 3 packs at a time. 
   I had intended to sit in the car but couldn't risk Stephen pushing a heavy trolley once it was filled, so I was there foraging as he went round with the hand held scanner, zapping the purchases as they went into the bags in our trolley. 
    It saves time trying to get through a checkout at the end. As you just enter the contents on the scanner at a checkpoint purposely allocated for them. 
Are we glad we registered awhile back to use the service!
   The queues at every checkout were legion and also at the self checkouts. But not the ones for the scanner. 
    I looked at the 200+ people there and thought, how does it make us less at risk? 
There were much older ones than myself who were bewildered by the crush, some on mobility scooters and some with three-wheeled walkers, When a new batch of toilet rolls appeared there was jostling and bad temperedness, which saddened me. 
    We won't be doing that again.Yet I have to say Thankyou to Sainsbury's for trying to help those in the "at risk" categories. 
We will just have to take our chances as best we can in the coming days.
   Once home, I felt exhausted.

The antidote to that was a ring on the doorbell and one of Stephen's colleagues from St Giles Hospice, (where he is a Bereavement Support counsellor) was on the doorstep. 
She did not come in, but passed him a bag of goodies and a card from the staff. 
The main photo is the lid of a box of assorted cookies. 
     I looked at it and thought, 
One day, we will look at this map and know we are all able to go out and about once more, without restrictions, travelling to see our families and friends, with no more panic buying and the feeling of helplessness that comes with necessary restrictions. 
       Whatever your beliefs,  we, here, are praying for that day to arrive. 
              I hope you all stay safe and well.