The national lockdown brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic has been a bittersweet time for Yvonne Tippins. It has aided her self-development, offered an opportunity to explore creative pursuits, and to write her first Christian book. She took time out to answer five questions:
What has been the toughest part of the lockdown for you?
For me personally, the toughest part of the lockdown centered around two things:
In 2019, we were put in a position where we had to make the difficult decision to move my father to a care home. At the time he accepted the decision but asked me to not just leave him there and not visit. I visited every week up to the start of lockdown and spent the whole of lockdown beating myself up about the fact that I had to break my promise to him. It was so hard to accept that by not visiting, I was keeping him and the other elderly people in the home safe.
Secondly, I am self-employed as an HR Development Consultant and as you can imagine, lockdown meant that my work just stopped abruptly. It was difficult to see this as a pause rather than the end of my business and career. I tend to catastrophise things at times and have spent many hours thinking through other possibilities and realising and accepting that “This too shall pass”.
How did you cope?
In both challenges my faith in a God, who is always with us in all things and who will never abandon us, has kept me sane. I know that while I can’t be with my dad, God has been faithful and my dad, although among the most vulnerable, in terms of the pandemic, is still well and actually seems to have adapted well to the new environment during these months of social distancing.
Above: Part of a quilt that Yvonne completed during the lockdown.
I have also used the time as an opportunity to explore other areas. I spent some time on enjoyable hobbies and creative pursuits (sewing, writing and art) and have done some personal development that might help me to help others in future.
It has also taught me to rely more on my husband as the head of our home and has given me valuable time with him and my daughter. As someone said to me the other day, “I now have had half the income but twice the husband”.
Get a copy here: In All Things is available as a Kindle e-book
You have just authored a devotional book as part of a boxed set In All Things. What inspired you to write yours and how long did it take you to write it?
Earlier this year, Shirley Corder called for contributions to series of devotions on the Christian Writers Group. I showed it to my daughter who is actually the author in our family. She said that she was a bit too busy with her work as an English lecturer at the time, so I thought, “why don’t I give it a try while I have some time on my hands?” I've always wanted to write something that shows the parallels between our own day to day well-being and the teachings of the Bible and Christianity. I did a workshop on gratitude and our lives as Christians with our church ladies group last year and decided to use gratitude as the basis of my devotions. I probably spent about a month or so putting my thoughts down.
How can the boxed set help readers draw closer to God?
I hope that these devotions inspire people to see that the Bible is full of common-sense guidelines for good living that still apply in today’s world. I also hope that we can glorify our God, who is so good, even when times seem tough.
What project lies ahead for you as a Christian author?
Oh, my word, I am a Christian Author? I think I might let that notion sink in a bit, before I start planning what is next, but I do hope that God will continue to use me in whatever way He needs to in future.
About the Author:
Yvonne is new to writing and lives in Vereeniging, South Africa, with her husband, Mark and daughter, Laura. She has an honours degree in Psychology and has spent her career working in Human Resources Development. She currently runs her own small business as a consultant and works as an Associate Practitioner with BIOSS Southern Africa. She has previously published a short booklet, “I Love my Job- Finding Fulfilling Work”.
Yvonne also enjoys working on publishing and design, photography and other creative projects. She is most passionate about helping people to be inspired by life while continuously growing and achieving their best “God-given” potential.
Follow Yvonne here:
Email: popsicle.tippins@gmail.com