Pineridge Blog

Lessons I have learned from the pandemic in no particular order:

• I miss the donuts on Sunday morning.  I miss the handshakes, hugs, smiles and the casual conversations on Sunday morning. I miss potlucks, reading to the kids in PDO and even face-to-face meetings.  I never thought I would say that, but I miss meetings!
• It is amazing how creative and flexible people are.  Just a month ago we were doing church pretty much the same way we have always done it, but now that has completely changed, and it is still church.
• We are learning how to be the Body of Christ without physically being together.  I thought it would feel fragile and scattered, but it feels strong and deep.  There is no doubt that we will be the church whatever that means in the future.
• There is no “foreseeable” future.  I wish there were.  I want there to be.  But no one knows what will happen next in the public health, the economy or pretty much anything else.  Which is the way it is all of the time, really, so it is good to be reminded every now and then.
• It is good for my brain.  They say the best thing you can do for your mental health is to learn a new language.  Living through the pandemic is like learning a new language.  Phrases like, “social distancing” and “personal protective equipment” are new, but also this total unexpected immersion in a foreign place requires all new ways of communicating.
• Learning a new language may be good for my brain, but it wears me out sometimes.
• Ice cream still makes everything better.
• God’s love is relentless.  Sometimes I just need to sit, breathe and rest in God’s grace.
• I deeply believe in death and Resurrection.  This is Holy Week.  We look forward to Easter, but death is very real right now.  And so is hope in the continuing transformation of God’s grace.  In this life, it is not death ‘or’ resurrection, but it is death ‘and’ resurrection.

What are you learning right now?  I would love for you to share it as a reply on FaceBook.