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7
Feb
2021
“God in a stranger’s hello, God in a raised hand of greeting…” So begins a short daily prayer recently published by the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland.
The prayer recognizes that COVID-19 restricts many interactions we used to take for granted.
It goes on, “Those simple gestures, be it a glance toward a passer–by who looks back with a nod, or a friendly question about what breed of dog you’ve got there, give us moments of connection.”
As a dog walker, I relate to that prayer. That’s how I too experience life these days.
Corrymeela anticipates a return to normal, whatever that is: “When instead of passing by or getting only as far as small talk, we will be able to draw close and learn more from each other.”
I don’t see that happening. Not anytime soon. COVID-19 will not go away.
Categories: Soft Edges
Tags: faith, prayer, Corrymeela
People all around the world watched the inauguration of the new president of the United States of America.
Most of us, I expect, watched mainly Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We watched Biden take his oath of office with his hand on a family Bible.
Biden is only the second Roman Catholic president; the first was John Kennedy. That speaks volumes about the dominance of one branch of Christian religion in American politics.
We watched Kamala Harris’s radiant smile as she became, not just the first non-white woman to be vice-president, but the first woman. Period. That too speaks volumes about American politics.
But I wonder how many of us watched the troops, occasionally visible in the background.
Categories: Sharp Edges
Tags: Biden, Harris, Inauguration
We had a mighty wind one night. It sounded like a freight train rumbling by outside – loud enough that I assumed the snowplow must be coming down our street, dragging its blade along the pavement.
But it wasn’t.
When I woke, I looked outside. No snow.
The house was eerily quiet. And chilly.
No power. No light. No heat.
And no phone. Not even the hard-wired landline had a dial tone.
Plus, the battery on my cell phone was down; I couldn’t recharge it.
No internet, no email – the cable modem needs plug-in power.
I thought I could at least have a shower. No water.
Tags: light, water, power