Artwork by Joni Langevoort
I remember when 2019 ended, I thought, “Good riddance! 2020 is going to be awesome—our son will be going back to school and changing careers in the fall, and our daughter is getting married in October to the love of her life! This year is going to be the best, thank goodness 2019 is over.” (Note to self: What was wrong with 2019? I don’t even remember now…)
Well. That’s not quite working out like I’d planned.
The timing of this pandemic is really, really not something I have been coping with very well. Just before the outbreak in the US, a couple of weeks before quarantine started, my 91 year old mother passed away quite unexpectedly, from influenza. We were able to have a small, family service in the chapel, with my husband, our daughter and her fiancé, one friend from the Altar Guild, and Jon+ and Ann+. Our son, a paramedic in a large city, was unable to leave his job as the crisis ramped up, so he FaceTime-d in.
Then the quarantine came. I will admit, my first thoughts were for my family. Would my son be exposed every shift? (Answer: yes. Career change is on hold.) Would my daughter have her dream wedding in the fall? (Answer: not quite the dream she had in mind, but she’s still planning on marrying her soulmate. Hoping for a few loved ones to join her.) Would my husband and I manage, since we are in that dreaded age demographic that is more at risk? (Answer: so far. We are rocking the masks.)
My second thought: what about all the missions and outreach opportunities we support at Holy Comforter? As chair of the Outreach Committee, I worried about lack of face-to-face opportunities to solicit, prepare, and deliver the donations Britepaths and Food4Thought depend on. I worried about lack of space for our excellent FACETS team to prepare and pack meals for the most vulnerable in our area. I worried about no in-person Holy Week and Easter services, when all of the loose offerings go to our Outreach budget, supplying a huge chunk of the funds available for our grants program in the fall and winter.
I seem to have forgotten, in my grief over my mom, my worry for my family, and my pandemic brain fog, that my Holy Comforter family is the most amazing group of people anywhere.
Special appeals were issued via the
eNews
for Britepaths, Food4Thought, and FACETS. The result? Almost $12,000 in donations. Another special appeal went out to remember the Outreach offerings during Holy Week and Easter. The result there? Almost $15,000, even more than last year. When I received those Easter numbers from Peggy, I stood in my kitchen and wept with thanksgiving—and, okay, I asked for a little forgiveness for ever doubting this would happen. You all are amazing, and we are all so blessed to be part of this CHC family.
You can always make a donation to our Outreach opportunities—just select one of them from the options on the website. Don’t forget your pledge! Just know that your Outreach teams are busy, as the needs are greater than ever (for example, FACETS is serving more than double its usual monthly meals.)
Oh, and how am I coping? Well, I’m painting. A lot. Please know that I am the farthest thing from an artist on the planet, and my paintings are all of colorful hipster birds with sunglasses and hats. I am trying desperately to find homes for them as I’m running out of space to put them…
Joni Langevoort
