At first, when the idea of writing about how I was doing with the pandemic was suggested, I just couldn’t do it. It was challenging enough to get through each day’s worries, technical challenges, and news, let alone try to make something inspirational out of it! I really admire all of you who have gone before me and shared your authentic and inspiring thoughts here. Thank you.
But gradually over time things have settled a bit. Time, it turns out, has been a true gift. The enforced slowing down and reeling in of our very busy life has allowed me to find reawakened joy in the very simplest of things. Time to walk in the morning, getting back to riding a bike, which I had not done for many years, and working in the garden have all been renewed in this season of pandemic. I even planted one of those big bags of mixed flower seeds. I had not planted seeds in a long time. Six packs of plants were so much faster! But the results have been so exciting to watch. As work and life has gone on, often in new ways, it has been lovely to be able to step outside for a moment of refreshment every once in awhile and see what God has done in the garden today.
This season will surely pass in time. Life will change once again as the pandemic fades, or is conquered through modern medicine. I hope that we will always treasure what we have learned about the preciousness and beauty of all God has given us. That will be in my prayers for all of us as I take my sabbatical which begins August 1st.
My sabbatical is going to be a time of refreshment -with plenty of outdoor time in the mountains and at the ocean, and time to enjoy reading, relaxing, family and life. I thank you for this time away and look forward to returning to you all in November, ready to see what God will lead us to do together next. Take care. Stay safe. God’s peace and love be with you!
