#AdventWord #Rebuild

 

Edward Ball Trail at UWF. This public hiking path was destroyed by Hurricane Sally in 2020.  Photo By The Pensacola Hippie 

Today's word is : REBUILD. 

Life in Northwest Florida, or anywhere along the Atlantic or Gulf coast is familiar with the rebuilding after major storms. Among other travesties in 2020, Pensacola got hit with an unusual hurricane. " Sally" was NOT supposed to hit our area, but she took a sharp turn East at the last moment and stomped ashore near the Alabama Gulf Coast. Pensacola, sitting on the easterly side of the landfall, bore the brunt of the bad East winds. 

 Needless to say, there is much rebuilding of structures that still has to happen since Sally. Brian and I were fortunate that we sustained NO structural damage to our home , but many in our City & surrounding areas did not fare as well. A cursory drive around our Zip code will show homes in various stages of repair. 

Shingle and fence loss are the two major re-buildings happening in our part of town. Homes and other structures in low-lying and coastal areas here in Pensacola sustained much more  damage than Northeast Pensacola.   " Sally's" constant rain  caused more water damage than many people anticipated. 

Collectively, we far Northwest Florida residents await the rebuilding of the Three-Mile Bridge that connects the spit of land that houses Gulf Breeze to Pensacola. Due to the negligence of the contracted company who had been building the bridge, several barges were set free. One of these wayward barges crashed into the bridge, tearing it apart. This severing of the main east-west artery to and from Highway 98 has proven  miserable for people living in Gulf Breeze or Navarre & working in Pensacola. Thankfully, there are alternate routes to The 'Cola, but they require more miles added to daily commutes.  It will be MONTHS until this bridge is rebuilt. 

Perhaps the lesson of all the " storms" of Year 2020 { weather, pandemic, and the crap-storm that is the 2020 Election is simple Maybe God The Creator is using this messy year to guide humanity ito REBUILDING a better, kinder society in 2021 and beyond. Humanity has seen the worst in almost everything this year--- yet we are at the point where we can look towards rebuilding.  2020 revealed some brokenness in our culture--- brokenness that those of us born after 1970 never experienced. The pandemic also brought out humanity's more basic traits: individualism over collective good.  People have died { and are still dying} from the storms brought about by the pandemic and the recent racial strife. 

When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, life won't magically rebuild. We all will need to work together to rebuild our American way of life. 

Amen.

Sarah

3 December 2020

#AdventWord #Earth

 

              Me hiking in Western NC, one of my favorite places on #Earth. Photo by Brian 

Today's #AdventWord is #Earth.  

As someone who grew up in Northern Appalachia and who now lives on Florida's Gulf Coast, my spiritual life is enriched by my time spent outdoors  . I feel closest to God the Creator when I am out-of-doors. As a matter of fact, winter & rainy weather is hard on my soul-- since it calls for me to stay inside. 

The older I become, the more I experience The Divine while enjoying time in Nature. During the lockdown of 2020, the ** only ** place my Covid-weary soul felt any peace was when I managed to be at the water's edge or among the piney woods . 

 Time with Earth is healing.  Time among the other creatures on God's Earth reminds me of the Creativity of our Creator. 

  Spending time  " Earthing" during this pandemic has helped me to hold onto  #hope.

  Today I give thanks for God's great Earth and all she offers. I pledge to continue to do my part to keep her healthy, and to encourage others to do likewise. 

Amen. 

Sarah

2 Dec 2020

#AdventWord #Strengthen

 Authentic Cherokee prayer bowl that I purchased from an authentic  Cherokee potter artisan in Hendersonville , NC Photo by The Pensacola Hippie 

Today's word is STRENGTHEN . 

This has been a tough year for { almost } everyone I know. We all are victims of this pandemic--- even those of us who stay safe by following all the CDC guidelines. We are healthy, but most { if not all} of our time is spent with a very small " COVID Pod". Most of our socialization is done online. This is necessary-- but not easy for most of we social creatures. 

However, throughout this adversity I find my faith strengthened. There are a myriad of ways this has happened, so I will list a few. 

Never again will I take for granted the blessing that is in-person corporate worship . During the lockdown in Florida, online worship was our only option. Each week after I logged off of worship, I found my soul longing for Communion--- both the Bread of Life & { more importantly} sharing space with my parish community. Our return to in-person worship continues to be an anchor point as COVID season drags on. My love for my parish family has been strengthened by the forced time apart that we had to endure for the sake of all. 

My relationship with both of my parents has strengthened. Mom and Dad are part of the small " pod" that Brian and I have, we spend Sunday afternoons in Navarre with my parents. Through this ritual of a visit and a shared meal, my relationship with my parents has grown stronger. 

Since being among strangers is a no-no right now, Brian and I do our best to spend a lot of time outdoors. This summer, both of us began the sport of kayaking and I discovered that this sport strengthens both my mental/spiritual health and my physical strength. My upper body has not been this well-conditioned since my high school sports years.  I've toned my arms & shoulders, so my clothes fit better & give me more confidence in how I look. 

There is no doubt that the most-recent election season { and its immediate aftermath} has been ugly on all accounts. However, the ugliness  re-minded me of the values that I do my best to live by daily. These past four years has seen an attempt on stealing rights away from people who do not meet the White ,Straight, Independently Wealthy , Male & " Christian" criteria.  As the Black Lives Matter movement accelerated I found myself dealing with systematic racism & anti-Semitism with renewed vigor.  Sadly, I also saw some of the worst from people-- some whom I know and love. Yet the extra-ugly political season and post-election crap show has strengthened my resolve to stand up for justice for all. 

Year 2020 has been like no other in my forty-four years of life on Earth. To be honest, some days were so bad all I could manage was to get out of bed , brush my teeth & eat a wee bit of food. As we turn the corner to a new calendar year & all its promised { VACCINE!}  I am a stronger, more confident version of myself. 

Thanks be to God! 

Amen

Sarah 

1 Dec 2020 

2020 #AdventWord #Deliver

                                       Sunrise on Weeks' Bay Photo by The Pensacola Hippie

Toady's Advent word is DELIVER. 

This is a hard one for me, as I associate this word with childbirth. I'm over 40 years old, and unable to birth children. To be honest, I feel very jealous of women who show off their newborn children/ grandchildren-- especially during the holidays. 

 In spite of all the work of feminism most of society considers motherhood a woman's crowning achievement. While I agree that children are beautiful and necessary, I often wonder why the " deliveries of we women who " birth" art, literature, scientific discoveries or other achievements not as celebrated as woman who can and do deliver children. 

Several of the finest " mothers" I know have never birthed a child. { be it by choice or circumstance} yet their contributions to society are valuable. It is to these women I look when the green-eyed monster shows up whenever I see someone's baby/grandbaby smiling at me on social media. 

Women are conditioned to be mothers. But not all of us are supposed to deliver children into the world. 

I'm okay with this fact.  However, I wish that society would stop pushing the narrative of all women should aspire to parenthood. Some of us are meant to #Deliver and nurture new life in other ways. 

Amen

Sarah

30 November 2020

2020 #AdventWord #Tender

Hands joined in prayer at the altar of the main chapel of Beckwith Camp and Conference Center. St Christopher's Women's Retreat 2018. A tender moment between some of my  Christa Sistas" and me  Photo by The Pensacola Hippie. 

The 2020 Pandemic Edition of Sarah's Advent Word. This has surely ben a challenging year for most of us and since I m  verbal processor of thoughts & experiences, it is good to fall into my normal Advent devotional of meditating on the day's word. 

Today's word is #Tender. 

This season brings with it some tender moments for me & for people I love. Firstly, the deaths from the pandemic are increasing, and people are forced to observe & celebrate the December holidays differently.

 Many are looking at empty chairs  due to the pandemic. 

Others, such as myself & my extended family, remain wakeful & watchful as a loved one comes to her last days on Earth. Staying safe during this pandemic means that no one will be able to fly to Pittsburgh to join my Dad's sibling in putting my Grandmother to rest.

 Grandma's death, like her life, will be " good" She is at home and spends most of her time sleeping. Dad had a chance to speak with her on the phone on Thursday. I was not privy to that conversation but I know my Dad well enough to understand that phone call to be tender and sacred I am glad that both Dad and Grandma had that tender time together--- even if it had to be via telephone { Grandma does not employ computers or smartphones}

 Throughout this crazy year, I've learned that tender moments where God shows God's Self in ordinary , small moments are gifts. 

This morning's Gospel from St Mark has Jesus admonishing His followers " KEEP AWAKE"  This is solid advice for any time, but perhaps more so during a pandemic. 

Amen. 

Sarah 

1 Advent 2020
 

#AskAnAppalachian. Boycott _Hillbilly Elegy_

                               Me, in the mountains of Western NC, five years ago. #ThisIsAnpplachian . Photo by Brian. 

Ron Howard directed a film that is on Netflix that generates much buzz lately among people I know. The movie, Hillbilly Elegy, is based on a book by the same name . Written by  JD Vance, a man who was born and raised in the " hills" of Kentucky. 

 I'm not bothering to watch the movie. 

 As someone who was born and raised in the Pittsburgh sub-region of Appalachia, the reviews of the book told me all I need to know.  While some may see Vance's story as one of someone pulling himself up by his " bootstraps" I see it as a sad and INACCURATE over-generalization  of Appalachian-Americans. 

  We are NOT all poor White trash. People from there can and do succeed in professional work and business. Many do leave the hills, but others return after some time away. 

  Not everyone who was raised in Appalachia has or had a drug abuse problem. Yes, the area -- like all areas-- has a problem with drug use  among some citizens. To be honest, in the time I've lived in Florida, there seems to be more people I know succumbing to drug addiction.  Vance should have explained that the drug use in Appalachia is due mostly to the lack of good blue-collar jobs for people. While I was growing up-- many classmates' fathers worked for steel mills. People with a high school education could work in good jobs and provide enough for a family.  For many reasons. steel production ended when I was in high school.  My dad is not a former steel mill employee, but his  ability to provide for us was affected by the steel mills' closures. the loss of both the coal industry and steel production  delivered big hits to the Appalachian region. 

  Appalachia is more than steel and coal. Pittsburgh has enjoyed a rebirth of sorts, with the medical research industry attracting brainpower to the area. The area of Appalachia in which I grew up in home to universities and colleges of all sizes and stripes. 

  To be honest, my relationship to the region of my origin is complicated.  It is true that some small town /rural Appalachian areas are not diverse. My experience growing up as a minority { Jewish on Mom's side of the family} and the child of  liberal hippie parents was daunting.  Racial and anti-Semitic slurs were heard on occasion  Most of my family and none of my schoolmates understand that being " other" in a uniformly White Christian society was hard. However, growing up interfaith and intercultural in a white-bread culture has gifted me with tenacity. 

  To be honest, I am glad I left Western Pennsylvania/Eastern Ohio. However, that region, and its people, are a part of who I am and who I will become. My childhood growing up playing freely in the woods  and not coming home until dark was close to ideal. The woods near my childhood home are still beautiful. 

  I am Appalachian. Ask me about the area that formed me. Boycott _Hillbilly Elegy_. 

  Sarah McCarren 

   11//27/2020

 

Tired of Surviving: Need to Look Towards Thriving

        Accurate graphic of what many of us feel as we are rounding 8 months of COVID Life

It has been over 8 months, and I am TIRED. 

I get plenty of sleep, but I am more TIRED now than I've ever been--- even during my darkest mental health days of youth. 

COVID has forced us into our cocoons. I have not hugged my parents since February. I miss seeing smiles of people-- especially at church I wear the mask every time I go out in public, and it is still nightmarish to walk around in Face Covered Zone. 

I wear the mask, protecting myself and others from a virus that is deadly. 

My body is totally alive, but my soul is in half-life mode most of the time. 

There has been good news during these smile-less months. Brian's NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, won their Stanley Cup. My Pittsburgh Steelers professional football team remain undefeated so far. Adults will soon occupy the White House. Brian and I can and do attend in-person church on Sundays. Only one person I know has died from COVID-- although several have fallen ill with it.  A vaccine is in the works. Hurricane season is done for six months. 

But still: COVID continues to rob humanity of so much--- even as we stay alive and physically healthy. My grandmother is dying, and restrictions keep most of her kin away from her funeral Mass and burial . Brian and I are staying home--- and NOT seeing my brother and his family this week. I've not been to an in-person Bible study since February. While I am grateful for Facebook Live & Zoom-- I feel the wear and tear from living a digital life. 

Florida's governor still refuses to issue a statewide mask mandate.  While numbers in other regions of the nation are higher than ours here, this state still needs to reign in " La Rona". People still refuse to give up their perceived " freedoms" so that all of us can stay safe and healthy. 

I am TIRED of giving up living in favor of existing while others selfishly refuse to behave in such a way that controls this plague. 

My soul is sick from the work of survival. People need to do their part, too, so that we ALL can start thriving again. 

Sarah McCarren

24 November 2020