The Interfaith Council I’m attached to in our community is organizing an event entitled “Remembrance, Resilience and Renewal,” offering reflections on our Pandemic experience from clergy, owners of local businesses, students, first responders and other area folk. Being involved in helping to craft and promote the program, I’ve been cogitating on my own deepest memories of the past 19 months, and whether I’ve become more resilient or more capable of renewal. Here’s the list:
I said goodbye to family and friends on March 14th, 2020, after an awesome early St. Patrick’s Day Party, in great sadness that we’d be apart for the next few months. Little did I know …
Sadness gave way to frustration, frustration birthing an insatiable need to over-function. The need to control something — anything — kicked in hard.
The universe lovingly responded to my need to “do something” in very unexpected ways.
Maniacal cooking and gardening are actually very therapeutic.
People I know started dying. I began to feel extremely fortunate.
I began to become comfortable with solitude. At the same time, the knowledge that we truly need to “be” with each other became very real to me.
My prayer life changed rather radically. Much was revealed during shutdown about the breadth and scope of human nature, and the infinitude of divine nature.
I wept openly on receiving my first vaccine dose.
As for resilience, I think I’m stronger in my acceptance of my weakness. When things are ripped away from you, it’s easier to let go. I know I now cherish my family, friends and parishioners in a much deeper way.
Renewal? I wait with newly found patience. We are being re-formed, this list is short, and I’m hopeful, because I choose to be.