A word of comfort and encouragement <3

Sometime in the past week or so, don’t ask me when as the last ten days have been a blur, the sweet neighbor of our Rachel and Zach was out working on readying her flower beds and asking me questions that somehow she thought I might know the answers to.

Her little ones were running around as I was interspersing conversation with her and with them and occasionally hollering “CAR!!!” Because our grandsons play full court on a slanted driveway for the purpose of keeping my heart rate up. 

Another day we caught a quick few seconds as she was unloading her family from the car and we were piling into their van for the sports drop-offs. With a sigh, as we barely got a few thoughts expressed whilst I admired her daughter twirling in her dress she had worn that day and wanted to show me, this mom said sometimes she misses parts of the Covid nightmare. 

I get it. 

I miss having time to spend just sitting on the steps and watching kids play together. I miss walks with friends and yard chairs even on cooler days. I miss the way we intentionally checked on each other and dropped a plate of cupcakes on the porch. I miss the way the ordinary became sacred. 

No I don’t miss the isolation and I don’t miss the masks. I don’t miss the fear and the anger. I don’t miss businesses, schools and churches closed. I just miss the circle that was created where we had time to talk and listen and fellowship. 

And I am grateful to have come through that season knowing that whatever gets thrown our way, we have people who were placed in our lives to love and be loved by. I am grateful to know that however bad the circumstances appear to be, God carries us and more often than not, places us in family groups of blood or choice. 

I wrote a prayer thought in a journal at the start of the lockdown months. I read it from time to time to remind me to not lose what was gained. 

“Lord, I pray that this time of shut down of all schools, businesses, activities would be a time of reset in the order of things. Father, I pray for the grief in our children and in the loss that you would bring comfort, healing, wholeness and restoration. Lord, I pray for those who are responding by withdrawal and anxiety that you would bring your presence to be known.”

While it was about three years ago that I would have written this, we still have the marks from this time. There was good that was gained and there are consequences that must be lived out. So check on your people. Don’t lose the gift of relationship during crisis that we were given. 

Be gentle with one another, kind and compassionate. Walk daily in forgiveness for we do not know what others are dealing with just as God is patient and kind to each of us .

(Roughly based on Ephesians 4:32)

I hope you have a blessed day <3