The Day the Earth Sneezed

Written by:

Jessica Conaway, LMHC

Jessica Conaway is a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Florida. The majority of her practice is focused on children and families, helping them navigate stressful situations together.  During the Covid-19 outbreak she saw a need to address the anxiety and fears faced by the children so she wrote this book in order to give parents a safe/ non-threatening way to discuss this topic. She recognizes that this topic can be stressful for any parent and therefore wished to provide them with a resource for younger children. If you, as a parent are feeling overwhelmed during this time know that you’re not alone and to please reach out to our group therapy practice that offers telehealth therapy sessions and extra support. Thank you and God Bless.

www.lifeskillsresourcegroup.com 

I do not own the rights to the images used. They’re copyright free images. 

I’m Mother Earth and I give life to this place. I have a friend, her name is Maddie, and I talk to her sometimes. I help the plants and nourish the oceans. I also give people beautiful skies. Maddie loves to look at my clouds, play in my rivers, and enjoy all my animals! 

One day she came to me frightened and said, “I’m afraid of the virus, this thing they call Covid-19. My school is closed and I can’t see my friends. My parents are upset after they watch the news. I’m not sure what it all means, but I want to understand. What can I do?” 

I responded softly, “I’m sorry this is happening and it must be hard. It wasn’t your fault and you did nothing wrong. It was something out of your control.”

Maddie looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked me again what to do and I said look at my sky. The colors are bright and my air is fresh. The virus is keeping everyone inside so I can heal. See I was sick for awhile with smoke, chemicals, and trash. It made me sneeze and gave me a rash. But I want to get better because…   

I love to give you clouds in every shape to see the smile on your face. 

I enjoy you walking in my riverbed with only happy thoughts in your head.

I want you to get to know my animals because they live here too. They are my friends just like you!

I want to keep you healthy so you can soon come out to play.  Remember to wash your hands often with soap and water. Do your best not to touch your face because the virus can get in your body through your eyes, nose, and mouth. If you get sick, I’ve made you strong. You have an immune system inside your body that will fight the virus. There’s no need to worry just do your best and your body’s immune system will do the rest! 

I understand that staying at home can be boring, but remember my healing and the gifts that I can give. If you get scared remember to take a deep breath and look at the sky above and earth below. You have my heart and we will heal. Together we’ll help each other and do our part to stop this virus from causing fear in our hearts!