Live Well

                                              St Catherine Of Siena....

I have dubbed Summer 2021 as " Summer of Recovery & Reentry ' Slowly but surely, people are returning to life in community. It has been a long, sad, lonely journey through this pandemic, and I am grateful that I survived it. 

I've chosen to focus on re-entry this summer because , for me, the hardest part of Pandemic Life was the limited was in which we could engage in helping others. While i understand that the isolation and virtual-EVERYTHING was necessary to save as many lives from COVID as possible, it still hurt my soul. 

Oddly enough, my brain and body adjusted to this long-term flight or fight mode of Pandemic Life. part of surviving COVID-tide for me was taking time to appreciate Creation. During the worst of the pandemic-- and before the storm knocked down Three-Mile Bridge, Brian and I spent a lot of time at Shoreline Park and Fort Pickens.  I found comfort in communing with the other species with whom we share this wonderful Gulf Coast. 

As people slowly emerge from our safe places, I am seeking ways to serve others based on some of the lessons COVID-tide has brought to me. I thank God that new opportunities are opening for me to get back " out there' and carry Christ to others. 

One main lesson is: Don't take anything or anyone for granted. Life is short-- and although no one in my immediate circle died of COVID-- I know people who * did* lose loved ones to the pandemic. the virus, and my turning forty-five years old in 2021-- made me realize that life on Earth is temporary.  God made me in order to serve others, and God does not want me to put off service to others until ' tomorrow'. 

Tomorrow is never a sure thing.  Live well-- and in service to others--- now. Tell -- and then back up words with actions--people of your love for them. 

Amen...

Sarah McCarren

10 June 2021