Good morning…
“I think we need to cancel the March women’s conference,” speaker Dr. Cathy Snapp said over the phone.
What? What are you talking about? My mind silently reeled. Cancel the “Awake To Wholeness Women’s Retreat” we have been planning for over a year? But so many people have invested so many hours. How can we cancel? As I struggled to soak in the personal implications of this new virus, I heard myself say, “Well, let’s pray about it overnight and talk again tomorrow.”
That was the evening of Monday, March 9th, six weeks ago today.
From that moment forth, my dominos began to fall fast. Postpone women’s retreat to February 2021. Final meetings at church. Final face to face spiritual direction sessions. Final Wednesday class. While we sat in the stands at the final Hawks game, the NBA canceled the season. Final high school lacrosse game. Final Thursday class. With classes cancelled, college kids came home. Final Friday class. Our daughter returned home early from her study abroad program in Spain. Canceled Monday class. Schools began virtual learning. Church organized virtual worship. Zoom meetings skyrocketed. FaceTime ran free, along with texting, emailing, phone calls. Walk and talks, six feet apart. Gather in groups less than ten. Shelter in place. Non-essential business ceased.
When will this “thing” loosen its grip?
“Surely the Chinese curse is upon us: ‘May you live in interesting times!'” writes author Margaret Silf. “And the Chinese ideogram for crisis also comes to mind, with its combination of symbols representing ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’ – a combination we might see reflected all around us in our world today, to say nothing of our own personal situations” (The Other Side Of Chaos: Breaking Through When Life Is Breaking Down, 12).
As I assess my own personal pile of “danger” and “opportunity,” I remember the very moment my dominos began to fall on the evening of Monday, March 9th. That was six long weeks ago.
What new normal will emerge from this rubble? One thing is for sure: “Today is not the day to know.”
One hand full of rest and patience is better than two fists full of labor and chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 4:6, AMP).
…Sue…
P.S. Thank you, Corinne Adams, for the photo above, a pretty pile of pedals patiently resting on a mucky pool.
