Living These Days
by Judy Avery
I sit at home, alone except for the dog and cat, and ponder the suggestion raised in St. Clare’s email posting: “We are encouraging members to contribute a reflection to be shared in our newsletter and on our website…” on how life is going during the pandemic. I’ve read Katie’s piece on her life as a nurse and the lives of other medical personnel, and I have deep gratitude for the work they and other essential workers are providing. She reminds me also of the lives of those who are suffering from the virus, either as a person who has contracted it or as their family and loved ones.
My own experience is quite different. I’m well aware that there is a pandemic going on, both from reading about it and from the changes to my life that have come from the lockdown. I am totally in support of the closing down of public places and of the injunction to stay apart from other people. It is the only way we can bring an end to this life-taking pandemic. As an older retired person who lives alone this means basically being by myself at home almost all the time. It’s the sort of thing that could drive a person crazy.
I haven’t gone crazy though, and I give a lot of credit to the internet. I spend a lot of my time with my laptop in my lap, connecting with the world outside my house. St. Clare’s is one of the important places I connect with. I’m so happy we have Zoom. I can go to Sunday services with all those people I know and love, as well as to the Saturday class and my cell group and writing group.
At the same time, it’s not like being physically together. In general, my physical face to face is at more than six feet from neighbors while I’m walking my dog or a brief masked interaction with someone I don’t know when picking up food.
My one exception to that is another gift from being part of St. Clare’s. By some stroke of luck, fellow St. Clarian Bill Feiser lives near me and we both live near to County Farm Park. Bill lives alone as well, now that wife Jill is in a care facility, a place where during this pandemic he’s not allowed to visit her. Several times a week we take a walk together in the Park. And by another bit of luck this thing has struck when walking in the park is best, as leaves and flowers make their spring emergence.
One day we happened to run into St. Clarian Janet Shane as she returned from her park walk, and she alerted us to the newly flowering Trilliums in a section we wouldn’t otherwise have walked in. They are amazing, spread out over a large portion of forest. Bill has studied them in detail, as he does the other plants and trees, especially those beginning to bloom. I had previously never known that at heart he’s a botanist, and this time of year is perfect for botany studies. These walks we have been taking have been a very important part of my coping with this lockdown as the virus does its work.
We’ll make it through this, and we’ll do it together even while apart.
Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay
Day of Pentecost
10 a.m., Sunday, May 31
Pentecost is the Greek name for Shavuot, the spring harvest festival of the Israelites. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. This event is considered the birth of the early church and is described in the Bible in the book of Acts.
Join us in worship on Sunday, May 31, to celebrate the Day of Pentecost. Wear red!
Alpha House Volunteers Needed
On June 1 through 7, Temple Beth Emeth and St. Clare’s are responsible for providing volunteers to bring meals to the families at Alpha House. In order to minimize outside contact with the residents and staff at Alpha House they have implemented some changes.
- Volunteers are not serving or cleaning up after meals. All we are being asked to do is to drop off a prepared meal or order a meal to be delivered from a local restaurant you’d like to support. The staff at the house take the meal into the kitchen and prepare individual plates for the residents. You can either drop off food family style as we have done in the past or you can put together individual servings. Either way is fine.
- Since families are at home throughout the day we have included an option for a hot lunch. Nothing as big as what you would normally prepare for dinner, but something nourishing.
- Lastly, we are not providing volunteers to supervise children.
Please sign up for a slot during the week. Please know that your support is always appreciated. Now more then ever. You can learn more about Alpha House at www.saintclareschurch.org/alphahouse.
