Yesterday I went to the Loop Restaurant to pick up lunch.  There were 2 couples eating in the restaurant AND black take out boxes lined up for the To Go Order. 

The Loop is a locally owned restaurant and the founder is a man who puts his trust in God.  You can feel that spirit there and the people who work for The Loop exude a feeling of joy and service.

Mike Schneider and his partners were not always successful – they failed first with a restaurant concept named – Applejacks.

Life looked bleak when Applejacks failed.  But they were left with the equipment of a failed business and decided to start another one taking the lessons of failure with them so they would never fall into that pit again.  The Loop was born out of the failure of Applejacks.  You can read more of that story here:  https://www.looppizzagrill.com/about-us.aspx

We love these stories because it gives us hope when we are facing fears of failure ourselves.  One man’s journey through pitfalls and problems gives us the strength to carry on. 

And carry on we must do as we face a pit and problems caused by a “virus” sweeping across the globe. 

We have never seen anything like this before and we pray we never do again.  The amount of people being hurt by the virus is more than the people who actually have the virus.  That’s the irony of it all. 

And while we need to hear the truth of what’s going on and why closures are important – what we need now is leadership that brings a sense of hope – not doom and gloom – to those who are shutting their businesses, losing their jobs, looking for childcare, canceling weddings, and wondering how they will feed their family.  

These people are real.  They have real fears and they have real needs. 

They need hope and help – not doom and gloom. 

What we do NOT need to hear is:  This is WWIII or another 9/11.    

What we NEED to hear from our political leaders are these statements:

• “This too shall pass”
• We are here to help you  — contact us
• We are pulling together with other community leaders and businesses to support you
• We have reached out to the churches, synagogues and other establishments for their help too – they are really good at giving hope!
• “Stay Calm and Carry On”
• Be a good neighbor and watch out for each other
• If you can’t see someone – call someone and let them know you care. 
• Support local restaurants and order to go.  Give them a big tip if you can
• Don’t worry too much – 98% of people who get the virus survive

Let’s all come together and be “Like Mike.” 

Mike Schneider overcame failure and pulled himself back up to create a new business, offer jobs to hundreds of thousands over the years and feeds the community good food with great service. 

He didn’t let Doom rule the day.

Neither should we.

Eye on Jacksonville sends you a dose of hope this morning and we will be looking for hopeful stories to share during this time.  If you hear of any local stories about neighbors helping each other – please share with us.  We will gather them and send then out when we feel our readers need some hope. 

Gloom will not be a part of Eye on Jacksonville as we “Stay Calm and Carry On.”