It’s been a long week, hasn’t it?  It seems hard to believe that just seven days ago, I was agonizing over the decision about whether to hold worship in our sanctuary. Now the idea of groups coming together is horrifying. As a result, online gatherings are springing up everywhere. Classes, youth groups, Bible study, yoga, “zoom”ba (love the name – exercise via Zoom meeting!). Even online pottery classes and art lessons. We are discovering a whole new way of connecting with each other.

            But it is a steep learning curve for many of us. Throughout the week, I found myself shaking my head and muttering, “They didn’t teach me this in seminary.” Of course, when I first arrived at the East Woodstock Congregational Church in 1987, the church still had a mimeograph machine, a rotary dial telephone, and was proud of its up-to-date electric typewriter. Fast forward to 2020 when I spent this week learning how to hold online meetings and discovered the advantages of establishing the church’s own YouTube channel. Whew.

            Whether your routine has been disrupted by working at home, homeschooling your children, adjusting to extended periods of alone time, missing loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes, yearning for social interaction, or being deprived of opportunities to shop, eat, and gather together – this has been a big adjustment.

It’s time to take care of ourselves.

Being tough and determined is fine, but it is also all right to also acknowledge that this isn’t easy. It is hard to completely change our way of life in a matter of days.

Now it’s time to think about what would feed your spirit, what will calm your anxiety, and what will help you get through one more day at a time. Maybe the first thing is to turn off the news and step away from the computer for a while.

 We can listen to the wisdom that mothers and grandmothers have been offering for generations – get some fresh air, exercise, eat healthy meals, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. Be gentle with yourself. None of us have done this before. We don’t have to be good at this right away. Very few of us are natural isolationists.

 Find words of Scripture, poetry, or music that comfort your heart. Search for hope and encouragement. And then share that with others – in the midst of our own challenges, we need to remember those who were already struggling before all of this started.

And through it all, God will be with us.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4: 4-7)