Connected While Apart

There
were 
signs 
all along
the way,
but I
was going
too fast
to read
them. 
The 
signs 
said 
“Stop.”
(Kai Siedenburg)

I almost missed this moment outside the parsonage yesterday.  I was in the front yard appreciating some of the work done by Peggy, Joann H. (her mom), JT, the Scotts, Lars and John, Diana, Rob, Jen, and Sophia, cleaning up inside and outside the church on Saturday.  It was one of those just right moments.  The light was perfect and cast branch shadows onto the grass.  Bright colored maple leaves from a tree against the cemetery fence were blown by the prairie wind or a leaf blower and then superimposed on the shadows at the edges of the lawn beside the driveway.  The effect was delightful. A second version of an autumn bright tree lay at my feet.  The leaves, not yet dried out, were brilliant beyond what is conveyed in the photo above.

Yesterday’s stop-and-slow-down moment reminded me of beautiful leaves at my feet about twenty years ago.  It was late October.  The leaves were against the curb of a city street in my neighborhood.  And I spotted them by the light of a streetlight at night while out walking with Gracie, my lab.  When I saw those long ago leaves, they made me think of All Saints Day, a day when we celebrate those remembered tenderly who have died before us, those whose labors on our behalf and on the behalf of the larger world are completed.

Given what is happening right now in the pandemic, I want this spectacular, short-term tree, a matter of shadows and fallen leaves to invite us to stop and remember around Covid-19 — to remember all those who have struggled with the virus, whether they recovered or died, to remember their circles of loved ones experiencing such grief and sometimes relief, and to remember the unbroken chain of healthcare workers who have offered them courageous, competent, consistent care.  We can slow down, taking the time to remember and honor them all whether we know their names or not.  Those who havedied and those who are still with us are a few of the ordinary saints we can be mindful of at this time.  Know that our prayers matter, now and always.
With blessing and peace, Martha