It wasn’t that long ago when we were talking about the threat posed by heavy rains and severe weather.

It wasn’t that long ago when we were talking about rising floodwaters, control gates and roads closing.

It wasn’t that long ago when we were talking politics, going back and forth about which candidate and which party to support in the presidential primaries.

It wasn’t that long ago when we as a society were worried about what we had to do next, what meeting to attend, what practice our children had to be at and how to work that all around making sure we were at church on Wednesday nights or home in time for supper.

It wasn’t that long ago.

In a matter of weeks, the things we worried about as a society, the things we concerned ourselves with has suddenly changed. No longer are we worried about what school function our children need to prepare for. We are now worried about how to prepare ourselves to help lead our children through an online lesson.

No longer are we worried about what practice our child needs to get to, we are now worried about how many children are in the group they are interacting with in the front yard, on the street or in a park.

Life has changed, and while the change may be both necessary and temporary, it has been no less of a struggle adjusting to that change.

We read or watch the news with worry about when a positive test — or how many positive tests — will be reported in our county. We wait for word on the next societal shutdown or restriction admittedly made with the public’s health and safety in mind.

As a community, in the past year, we have faced a laundry list of horrors, all or most beyond our control.

We have faced a historic flood and the aftermath, and we have watched as many of our roads and historic treasures have fallen victim to or are threatened by landslides and saturating rains.

But in those moments — and throughout our history; a history that includes a pretty important “Siege” — we have withstood the so-called barrage and returned.

We have been knocked down, whether it be manmade or from Mother Nature, and stood up each time, often stronger and better prepared for the next punch.

As we have said before, Vicksburg and Warren County is a community that rallies and supports one another not because it is what we are called to do, but because it is who we are.

In the coming weeks, our friends and our neighbors will be struggling with the economic downturns caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Some businesses will have to temporarily close and some people will lose their jobs, hopefully temporarily.

It is up to us to lift them up, as it is their job to lift us up. We are a team, a community and nothing can change that. Our bonds and our faith may be strained but we have proven it will not be broken.

We are stronger than a flood, we are stronger than a siege, we are stronger than a storm and there is little doubt, we are stronger than a virus.