400+ days
404 days ago, I hugged my son. 414 days ago, I hugged my daughter. 407 days ago, I put my mom on a plane to go to my niece’s wedding in Florida not knowing it would be another 14 months before I could hug her again. Not that I’m counting :)
Once again, God decided I should wake up before the sun has risen. It doesn’t bother me today. This morning as I look out into the dark, and rest in the silence, my heart is filled with anticipation, with joy, with relief, and with gratitude. I feel like a child at Christmas, just waiting for the moment I hear my parents say “Good morning everyone!”. That’s when I knew that we could get out of bed and see if Santa came. My dad greeted us with an 8mm camera that had 4 pot lights on it, which indeed blinded us, recording the moment when we came to the tree and started to open presents. Though inevitably we had our eyes covered, he wanted to capture the joy his children had so he could watch at a later time.
I’m having a sort of Christmas in April this year. Today, April 22nd, is my fully vaccinated day. Today I get to see and hug and share a meal with my children. I will see their beautiful faces in 3D, without a mask, hug them with all my strength, and we will sit together, laugh, eat, and just be together in the same room. My cup is so overflowing that I expect flood levels to rise in Little Canada today.
If someone had told me that during my lifetime I would not touch another human being for 404 days, I would have laughed at them and said that was phooey - there’s no way I could last that long without hugging someone! (I’m a hugger by nature) I would have kindly explained that the human isn’t designed to survive that long without contact with another human. I would have been wrong. I have survived. Though I am a little worse for wear, because of our abilities to communicate on our Brady Bunch screens, because I have been able to pray in community, because God has made God’s presence known and felt, I survived and in some situations, thrived.
“With God all things are possible.” (Mt 19:26) I see this passage in a new light these days. I have witnessed many miracles in my days, but the miracles I’ve seen during the pandemic have been intense. I have seen tragedy, felt complete loss of control, felt the anger, grief, and fear that we all have. I have also seen a new resilience in humanity, neighbors reaching out to neighbors, people’s imaginations flooding the world with new ways we can connect. I have watched healthcare workers continue to serve when being blasted with COVID cases. I have seen first responders who set aside their own fears to transport and help those sick with the disease. I have seen teachers reimagine how they can teach, parents reimagine how they have to parent, and businesses trying to reinvent how they can stay afloat. I never watched as many live streams of musicians than I have during this past year.
Also, since October, I have been able to worship with you all. I have been able to pray with you all. We have played BINGO together from all over the country…and Guatemala!! We have laughed together, cried together, worried together, remain hopeful together, comforted one another, and loved one another. We discovered a new way to be church and I believe we’ve discovered in new and deeper ways “that nothing can separate us from the love of God.” (Rm 8:39)
Today, I live in wonder and gratitude. The glory and grace of God is flowing. All I can really say is this: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise God all creatures here below. Praise God above ye heavenly hosts…Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.”
Thank you for walking this journey with me!
Rev Joan
