• Identify who needs care. Do you know someone who is going through a particularly difficult time? Reply to this email so I can help connect them to resources.

  • Volunteer at Heart to Heart, which has developed a drive-thru system to keep volunteers and clients safe. We need more help than ever!
  • Need food for yourself? Heart to Heart does not have a zip-code restriction, provides food to anyone in need once per month, and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 - 1 pm. Find details on receiving food.

  • Volunteer at the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. Pre-packaged boxes keep everyone safe, but require more volunteers.

Care for You
Some self-care ideas to ease anxiety and isolation.

  • Be gentle with yourself. Physically, treat yourself like you’re getting over a cold: lots of water, early bedtime, light exercise, and healthy food. Emotionally, be kind: do things you love, take breaks, and keep the positive self-talk coming. You’re doing great!

  • Meditate. Try an app like Headspace or Calm for guided meditations.

  • Unplug. This is something I need to remind myself: you don’t need to read every article about the virus! And you don’t need to respond to every text right away! Use the “do not disturb” setting on your phone when you need a break from the deluge of communication, even the good stuff.

  • Get outside. Fresh air and sunlight can go a long way, even if it’s cloudy.

  • Practice a hobby. Creativity can surge in times of uncertainty. Read, write, play guitar, knit, cook—and share your creative gifts and findings with the rest of us!

  • Surround yourself with love. Reach out to friends and family for a phone call or video chat.

  • Journal. Putting thoughts on paper helps calm my mind, and it feels great to “close the book” on them for a bit.


  • Pray. Speaking your hopes, desires, and gratitude aloud (or whispering for only God to hear) can be healing.

  • What else? I’d love to hear how you’re finding moments of healing. What’s been helpful, calming, or uplifting? Reply to me, or share in our Facebook group!

Get Help
Not sure where to turn? Use these resources. Or reply to this email, and I can provide conversation and referrals.


  • Domestic Violence. Get help if you are quarantined with an abuser, or someone you know is isolated in a dangerous home situation.
  • In immediate danger? Call 911.
  • Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233.
  • Chat online at thehotline.org.
  • Text LOVEIS to 22522.

  • Local COVID-19 Resources. The Ohio Department of Health includes resources about how to protect yourself from the virus, identify symptoms, stay physically and mentally safe. Have a question? Call their hotline at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

  • Unemployment. The Resources for Economic Support page of the ODH includes info on how to apply for unemployment, get food and medical assistance, and find local organizations that are hiring.

Something to Ponder
I read a book in seminary called Pastoral Care Emergencies by David K. Switzer. In it, Switzer provides a definition I've held onto: "Sorrow is the unfulfilled wish." In the midst of this outbreak, many of us had wishes, plans, and future stories that have gone unfulfilled. Everything we've cancelled is a loss: birthday parties, classes, jobs, family gatherings, and our familiar ways of life. It's ok to grieve these losses, and to feel sorrow for our unfulfilled wishes.

My prayer is that, no matter how far we are from each other or from our once-laid plans, that each of us might find a few things each day that remain just exactly the same: the same movies that make us laugh, the familiar recipes that bring comfort, or the old friends that help us feel loved. Those are the fulfilled wishes. May we thank God for them, even through our tears.