Airborne

Airborne literally means to be carried in or by the air. All life depends on the air we breathe - the oxygen carried in the air - along with a variety of contaminants.  Mold - pollen - gasses - odors - all make up the air - depending on your community - the contaminants present in the air various.  According to Wikipedia "Airborne diseases include any that are caused by pathogens and transmitted through the air. Some are of great medical importance. The pathogens transmitted may be any kind of microbe, and they may be spread in aerosols, dust or liquids. The aerosols might be generated from sources of infection such as the bodily secretions of an infected animal or person, or biological wastes such as accumulate in lofts, caves, garbage and the like. Such infected aerosols may stay suspended in air currents long enough to travel for considerable distances on air currents, though the rate of infection decreases sharply with the distance between the source and the organism infected".  A sneeze - a cough - from any person - would more than likely - contain droplets - contaminated with bacteria - fungi - virus. Those droplets from that sneeze will be airborne for a short period of time - eventually dissipating - settling - landing on the ground. Depending on the virus or bacteria - the time to remain active varies from hours to days - or longer - in the case of smallpox. The AIDS virus is fragile - viable for only a few hours outside the body - Hepatitis B - viable for up to a week. Some diseases cannot survive outside the body - dependant on moisture and heat. The distance in which a virus or bacteria is potentially dangerous depends on the force of the sneeze or cough and the closeness to another person. Those in confined places - elevators - classrooms - buses - sharing the same air - potentially may inhale a droplet spread by another. Inhaling a bacteria - virus - does not mean you will get the disease - the immune system of your body - in a healthy individual - offers protection - helps one avoid contracting the disease. Maintaining good health - eating good foods - getting plenty of exercise - proper sleep - strengthens the body's immune system. Taking proper precautions - avoiding contaminated air space - covering the mouth when coughing - sneezing into the sleeve of garments - avoids spreading the disease. One of the most offensive things that may happen - a person who consciously sneezes directly into another's face. Good manners - demands proper actions by those who are sick - realizing that we are our brother's keeper - we are responsible for our health and the health of our neighbors - friends - family. Paratroopers jumping from an airplane pose little risk to those on the ground - the potential they bear in their arms - once they contact life - immeasurable.

The great Gift that God gives us in His Love - His forgiveness - His protection - carried through the air - airborne - via His Holy Spirit. Like a virus - spread through human contact - to affect the lives of many -to heal - to  comfort - to guide - to nurture. God knows very well the challenges we face - the daily - the common - the uncommon. In all our lives He offers us salvation - life eternal - life outside the limits of time and space - life in harmony with life itself.

Deacon Dale