Pen-demic

On the calendar there won’t be an end date No bright, festive day to celebrate Instead, a slow pull out of the darkness We stumble and fumble out of this mess No one person or group is to blame Many voices spoke and opined, but often sounded the same It seems looking back, there was too little preparation At many times, too much misinformation You ask, what will our life be like on the other side? Can we trust the politicians or scientists to be our guide? I know the reassurance that you seek Is that life will flip back to a pre-pandemic week This I cannot tell you. But I offer up hope, love, and a determination to find our new glorious life . Linda Larimer Photo by   Aaron Burden   on   Unsplash

 by Judy Richardson January 19, 2021  Needing others we are lost  Epidemic trapped  Seeking God to see us through  I remember my grandmother’s last days. Ella Hanks had been a first grade teacher for many years. After she retired and Grandfather had died, she had time alone and she was very sad and told me how lonely it was without him to help her feel connected.  My Uncle George came to live with her and I know she enjoyed his company, but his eating habits drove her crazy. One day, she fell and hurt her shoulder. She had tripped over a table leg and fell. She said she was shocked that he appeared naked from his shower and immediately pulled her up to a standing position. It is possible that his “help” was what caused the damage to her shoulder.  My uncle was so afraid that she would fall again and he would not be able to help her properly that he insisted she enter the nursing home across the street.  Her days in the nursing home were long. When...

  This stained-glass window was donated to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in downtown Birmingham  by the people of Wales after the church was bombed in 1963. (Solomon Crenshaw, For The Birmingham Times) Unexpected neighboring Meeting without assembling Worshipping without walls Zooming without traveling WestWinging without commercials Broken-hearting of America Peanut butter experimenting Richard Rohring Advent Understanding without knowing Waiting without promises.

    Sun snuggling closer to earth, Nights blanketing the day. Another season passes Leaves tumbling from the trees, Hummingbirds    have packed their bags. Another season passes Wearing sweaters in the morning, Needing another blanket at night. Another season passes Still isolating from the plague, Missing family celebrations. This season never passes. Wanting to hug church friends, Missing smiles on faces. This season never passes. Trips are cancelled, Lunch with friends on Zoom. This season never passes. Leaders not leading, Hospitals filling up again. This season. . . . .please pass. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall A year passes JaclynMorgan

For whoever out there needs to see this tonight... especially my educator friends. I will teach your children… I will wear a mask And while I can’t hug them when they cry Or high five them when they succeed, I will reach them My eyes will show concern or sparkle My voice will soothe or uplift I will teach your children I will keep my distance But they will know that I care. I send them notes… electronically And “the teacher look” will be one of understanding. A gesture A look A signal will mean more than it ever has I will teach your children I will design opportunities for them to “talk” with their classmates n break-out rooms on Zoom in-person with a mask on from 3 or 6 feet They will share how they feel What they’re reading What they’re writing What they’re thinking I will teach your children I will maneuver through the changes that are bound to come I will help them know how to deal with the unknown I know they are flexible, much more so than I They roll with t...

We thought you were just a lamb, a simple flu virus     But you weren’t We thought a couple of weeks stay-at-home would send you on your way      It didn’t We thought our leaders would help you on your way     They didn’t We thought our leaders would learn from scientists as they learned more instead of politicizing their wrong-headed original plans     They didn’t We thought that our world could get back to normal quickly     It couldn’t Thousands of people have died who could have been saved     They weren’t We thought that individuals would learn to wear masks willingly without coercion     They didn’t We thought you were a lamb We were wrong A lioness on the prowl, you will kill or cripple many more before you are done Immunity will save us, but when will it come? Judy Richardson

Credit: CDC/Science Photo Library Wondering where my life will take me, Swept away, without the usual control Weak. Spiritless. Untethered. Just seeing the unlovely. Feeling alone and wishing that Life wouldn’t seem so daunting It’s a sadness I can’t explain How it started I do not know Lonely, yet among people, Sad, yet having all I need. Unloved, yet told otherwise; but Not broken Not unhopeful Not crazy Just melancholy. Sharon Cardwell After 4 months of the pandemic, Covid

https://unsplash.com/@nhillier         I am numbed by numbers.         Numbers Infected.                  Numbers hospitalized.                        Numbers dead.             Those wanting freedom from number            People unfeeling, uncaring, unheeding of The old and the sick and the lonely and scared.   “Aren’t we all dying?” They say. “I’ll never get it!”                    Every night I dream that I am becoming sick, becoming a number.           Am I coughing?  Do I have a fever? Is my throat sore? Can I still taste and smell? Did I wash my hands enough?  Is my mask protecting others?  I pray f...