A Reflection from our Vestry
We are in Week 8 of this pandemic impacting our community (if you are counting) and it is Monday (if you are keeping track) and quite frankly, I was hopeful that this bad movie would be over by the time it was my turn to write. I did however take the time over these last several weeks to think about what I would or could write about when my turn came up. There are so many topics that went through my mind—the gift of time, coping with this new normal, upset over lost moments/milestones such as my daughter's graduation, not seeing friends and family—the list could go on and on but I stopped and thought about what has touched me the most during this time.
HOW do I want to remember this time? WHAT do I want to remember about this time?
These are unprecedented times and it will no doubt go down in history as some of the worst times, but at the end of the day, how do you want to remember this time or how do you want your children to remember this point in their lives that WILL be historical? A positive thing that has impacted me and that I know I will remember is how our community came together to help others. I'll remember this as a caring time where people's lives are touched and when the going gets tough, the tough and the not so tough are taken care of. I will not remember this as greed but as generosity. I am proud to be part of a community who cares about the people who are less fortunate, who cares about people on the front lines and cares about our small businesses and restaurants surviving these times so we can thrive again.
I am specifically proud to be part of the Holy Comforter community where we have parishioners and friends like Susan McGuire who organize food drives and collect money for people in the community who are less fortunate to help put food on their tables. I am grateful for people like Denis McMullan to organize efforts to help parishioners who are unable to get out to get groceries and prescriptions. I am proud to be part of a church community that cares that we have a service on Sunday for worshiping and takes the time to edit the service so that we can see faces of our friends each Sunday. I'm excited to be part of the effort to call parishioners who are alone and see how they are doing or if they need anything. My daughters are also part of an effort to email parishioners to check on them and see if they need help. I will also remember the generosity of our Vienna community and how local restaurants, who I might add are also struggling, but are still making and sending meals to people on the front lines who are caring for the sick along with firefighters, policemen and our postal workers. Local businesses are buying other local businesses lunches and recognizing organizations who are giving back to others. An effort was made to make signs to put on mailboxes and windows to thank our postal workers. People are helping people. All of these acts of kindness are what is getting me through this and has giving me hope. At the end of the day, people are kind, people are giving and people care about each other.
As an individual, you can't do everything and it can be overwhelming to try, but as a community we have come together to recognize and support people on the front lines caring for the sick; people stocking our shelves; and workers delivering our mail, packages and groceries. A shared sacrifice. I've found so much fulfillment in helping others and seeing people helping others and am grateful for our church to provide us many of these opportunities in these trying times. God's way of wanting us to live is being shown through the community's generosity.
We've all adjusted our lives, how we work, how we live, but I will remember how much our community cares and adjusted for the good and for the benefit of others. Although we can't be together physically (or I guess we can be if we are 6 ft. apart), we have somehow found a way to deepen relationships, deepen our faith and deepen awareness of people who need you, us, our community. The shirt I am wearing in this photo that my girls love to ridicule me about, is one of my favorites.
Love Where You Are.
Our current situation is grim but we are in a community where we should be proud and Love Where We Are for what it is now and the hope for what it will be again!
I continue to pray for families who are impacted by the coronavirus whether it is health or financial, for our healthcare workers and for people who are alone during this time. I pray that we can get back to our normal and that no more lives are lost. I can't wait to hug my mom again and hug all the people around me, including all of you!
Love to you,
Kari Govan
