As we inch into the seventh month mark of the pandemic shutdown, I have been pondering how I might illustrate this time to someone in thirty or forty years. I read an article recently by Dr. Aisha Ahmad in which she shared how the sixth month mark in any sustained crisis is always difficult. Well, you can say that again Professor Ahmad! Nonetheless, we must power through because this is not the end of the story. Perhaps the story will be how the world relearned how to do grocery shopping, host meetings virtually, worship using social media and various other platforms, and even teach classes online for students from kindergarten to graduate level work. Oh, the stories about hoarding are sure to creep into the mix but surely the stories about strangers and neighbors helping one another with much needed supplies to care for their families who were all homebound will prevail.
Stories are so important to each and every person. They tell us where we came from, what our families believed in, how our families came to be where they are today, and they also help create traditions. As we have each had to pivot in one way or another, let us be reminded that this time of everchanging, complicated and emotionally challenging time is all part of the story. The story of not only our individual lives but also of our communities, our nation, and our world. Let us be reminded that our faith and our steadfast commitment to constantly learning and growing as individuals and as a community shall prevail. As a community of faith, may we lean into one another. May our faith be part of the story of this time in our lives and in history.
As we march forward through the last ninety days of 2020, what will your story tell about your journey through this historical time? What stories and traditions might you carry into the new year and into the new way in which we must live? Let us pivot and be intentional in our faith and in the stories that we create about our journeys. Blessings, Pastor Heidi