Hello dear friends in cyberspace. Here we are in the second week of “sheltering in” (which sounds so much nicer than “social isolating”) and I am wondering what are you missing the most? Is it seeing friends? Is it going to the movies? Is it eating out? Is it stopping while at the post office, or the drug store, for a chat with someone you bumped into? Is it giving a hug to your friend who just got back from winter vacation? Is it snuggling in with your grand kids to read a book? So many of the avenues of social interaction that we take for granted are now stopped. They are stopped for the good of all and we must comply. But we do miss things don’t we? So I decided this blog should be about what we are missing the most and what we could do about it.
Many of us have discovered the wonder of Zoom which gives the opportunity to “gather” while looking at your computer screen. It is like an updated version of the old tv show Hollywood Squares except the ones staring back at you are your friends, badly back lit and looking mildly confused. And of course, the telephone lines are busy and email inboxes are full. I gave in and signed up to Netflix to get caught up on some shows and movies that others have talked about but I have not seen. I have heard that, in lieu of eating out, people are trying new recipes and rather than go grocery shopping are using up the things stuffed in the freezer and those bits and pieces in the back of the cupboard. Creative ways with lentils!
I have been thinking how this time can also be used as Sabbath. What can we do with this gift of time that has come to us, unbidden and unexpected? Perhaps this is the day to read some poetry. You have always meant to do that haven’t you? Perhaps you could travel by using many of the opportunities online – you can tour the Smithsonian or the Louvre without leaving your chair. You could go on a scavenger hunt – make a list of things you want to spot while out walking and then go walking. Or, when you head out for your walk tuck a bag into your pocket and collect garbage as you go. Perhaps this evening you could sit and write a list of those effected by this unprecedented time of lay offs and job losses and then pray for those people who are perilously close to financial ruin. Think about the people in your network who are grieving and lonely and write them a note. And, my best advice for a true sabbath experience – take a nap. God rested and so should we.
This can be a trying time and I do not want to diminish that reality. It can be a frightening time and it can be a sorrowful time depending on our life circumstance. But we can also turn to our faith which calls us to enter into any experience with the confidence that we are held in God’s loving embrace. I can’t help but think that God has some fun even on the dark days. We should do our best to do that too. If you find yourself missing something then fill that space with reflection, meditation, prayer and take a walk!
