Tomorrow I turn 44 years old.
Wow!
Brian made sure that I had a nice " pre-birthday" I did some housework in the morning, caught up on some reading and card-making, and took walks in both our neighborhood and at a nearby city park.
We got a nice take-out lunch from one of our favorite eateries, and two cards came in the mail. One was from one of my favorite Aunts in Pittsburgh, and the other was from my parish.
The parish sends out birthday postcards to parishioners, and our rector writes a personal message on each one. It means a lot , not only to receive a card from my church family-- especially during these times when we cannot be physically together as a community. Our rector writes a personal note on each card, and this small gesture means a lot in this very dis-connected world.
This is a strange time and as a empathic " feeler", I find myself longing for in-person connection with loved ones. My choice to not go to Pittsburgh this summer is the correct choice, but not an easy choice. I miss my family in Pennsylvania and Ohio and I know that it is the right thing to protect people I love here in Pensacola.
Tomorrow Brian and I will attend virtual church { again where I'll miss all the real " happy birthday hugs from my very affectionate congregation}. After church, Brian and I will drive over to my parents' house for a physically-distant small gathering of less than ten people. . Again, maintaining the physical distancing policies that keep everyone safe is hard on me: I am a hugger with people I know and love. Not hugging my own Dad hello and goodbye makes me ache with sadness. Yet I still get to see my parents in-person & I want to keep both of them alive and healthy.
If this pandemic has taught me anything, it is love requires sacrifice. Look to the Cross on which Our Savior died. He, if He were walking among us now, would probably teach is to tend to the most vulnerable, the sick, the elderly, and the poor. Now I do not know for sure, but I also imagine that He would be wearing a mask and advising everyone else to do as He does.
Middle age is weird. I found out that I've grown in wisdom in the last ten weeks than I'd grown in my first twenty years of life on Earth.
Peace to all...
~Sarah
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