Dear friends,
As I write this, I am surrounded by piles of shorts and t-shirts, hiking poles and beach shoes, in preparation for vacation in the Adirondacks. I am looking forward to hiking with Jeannie the dog, canoeing with Fran (probably not with Jeannie), biking the rolling hills and eating fresh produce from local farm stands.
As I look forward to the next few weeks, I find myself also looking back over the last sixteen months. What a strange, complicated, hard time! What a gift to have a community with whom to share the struggles and the unexpected gifts of this time! I have learned a lot. I want to share a few of my learnings with you, hoping they will prompt your own reflections on what you have learned.
- Being able to see one another face-to-face is such a wondrous gift. I hope I will remember to treasure every such opportunity.
- There are so many meaningful ways to connect even when we cannot be face-to-face. I hope I will remember that as well.
- We are creative, and we can create new ways for new times.
- Technology is amazing, and it is amazingly complex. That means it doesn’t always work perfectly, even when you do everything right.
- Grace abounds in our church. We can laugh when things don’t go the way we planned, and we can move past the glitches to get to the important parts of our being together.
- Taking time every morning for a few minutes of prayer and meditation transforms the rest of my day.
- Even though we have all been in the midst of the same pandemic, each person’s experience is dramatically different. Our lives and our communities are enriched when we choose to listen deeply to one another rather than assume a shared experience.
- Even—or especially—when so much is out of my control, the small choices I make matter.
- There is beauty all around. If I practice noticing it, my life will be filled with beauty.
- Grief is real and painful, and it calls upon us to be gentle with ourselves and with each other.
- Healing of grief is possible, and it is a long, circuitous journey. The journey is enriched when we walk together.
- Acknowledging the privilege I have as a white, middle class woman in our culture is painful, and that pain does not have to paralyze me.
- Injustice and inequity are deeply-rooted in our culture (and in many other cultures around the world). It will take people from all backgrounds working together, with determination, patience and grace, to uproot them.
- While I know churches and other faith communities often fail to live up to our calling—and sometimes have done tremendous harm—I am more convinced than ever of the life-changing, world-changing potential of communities of caring that gather around faith in the power of Love.
Okay, that’s a start to my list. What’s on your list?
Peace, Debbie