It’s that time of year in which we usually begin to focus on things like traveling over the river and through the woods to visit grandma, or the nostalgic gathering of extended family in a “God bless us every one” kind of setting. And yet, here we are in November, heading into the holiday season, with the pandemic raging on all around us. We are living in an anomaly, with COVID fatigue and civil unrest and no sign of anything being settled. With so many unanswered questions about the utterly extraordinary coronavirus marathon we find ourselves in, how can we possibly think about holiday celebration as usual?

In this issue we try to address that question, and illustrate why celebration is good for your psychological and physical health. For practical reasons, we also explain the CDC guidelines for gathering.

Since it is now Open Enrollment month, we want to emphasize two of BBT’s insurance products, disability and dental insurance, in case you are thinking of adding coverage or changing current insurance coverage.

Since we mentioned dental insurance, it’s a good time to include something that might bring a smile to your face. It’s been a long year. We can all use a reason to laugh, so we have included our usual section on humor.

May you find goodness in the midst of these troubled times. May you find the joy and love that cannot be touched by illness and trouble. May you find gratitude as you celebrate this coming Thanksgiving.

This is the time in the year for you to enroll in new insurance products or update your present coverage without medical underwriting, which means GUARANTEED COVERAGE for approved plan packages. If you enroll late, medical underwriting is required by our carriers and could result in permanent ineligibility for their coverage.

Talk to your HR Department or contact:

Jeremiah Thompson, Director of Insurance Operations

800-746-1505 ext. 3368, or jthompson@cobbt.org.

[If you do not work for a congregation, camp, district, retirement community or other Brethren-affiliated employer, these Brethren Insurance Services products are not available to you. But you may want to contact your own insurance carrier and consider adding or increasing coverage on your insurance products.]

We are in a pandemic, heading for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, and as hard as it is to imagine what that might look like, never have we needed holiday spirit more. Anxiety and depression in our fellow citizens began to show early in the pandemic. In a study conducted in late June, 40.9 percent of the respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition. There has been the persistent, underlying fear of catching the virus. We hear people talking about cabin fever and worrying about their finances. They complain of Zoom fatigue. A large number of people are having trouble meeting their mortgage payments or paying their rent. After seeing the virus waning somewhat over the summer and early fall, we now see a huge surge in cases. The death statistics keep climbing. The political situation has never been more chaotic. These are things that can seriously drag the spirit down.

Here are some things you might be able to do to celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic.

Set up a virtual Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. Bring everyone into a Zoom meeting where you can all see one another on screen around the Thanksgiving table. Maybe you can coordinate so you are carving the turkey and eating at the same time.