Hello Everyone!
Here is the Fifteenth reflection I have written for my church E-news. It hardly seems possible that when my pastor, Dennis Coy, asked me to do this through the pandemic that it would still be going on! I am cutting back on some of my articles becasue I need to take precious time to finish my book.
I will still try to keep all of you posted every week!
The picture is of the masks that one of the members made for me and several of my deaf friends. My doctor, audiologist,, dentist and other people can use them. Carolyn Byers- you are the best!
Keep reaching out to each other through this terrible time and do not be an island!
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
As I think back over the shutdown of COVID (realizing it could happen again) I reflect on how 1) I never would have made it through without my church family and 2) These people do not talk about service – they just do it!
The way this all happened so suddenly traumatized all of us. We reacted and are still reacting in different ways, depending on our home situations, jobs, and personalities. I personally didn’t do well, because I am single and extroverted, and used to going out every single day. I was beyond depressed. I certainly knew how fortunate I was to have food, a roof over my head, and a place to be safe.
However, I truly believe like John Donne that “No man is an island, Entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent.”
I had several people contact me, and offer to bring groceries or run errands for me. But, the church, which I knew was wonderful, amazed me more than ever. Let me reiterate that I have only been a member for seven years, so this was not a lifetime of friends, which I do have outside of the church. But the mission part of this place was never more evident.
I am always afraid to write an article like this, because I may leave someone out and please do not take this personally! It is not my intention to offend anyone.
A wonderful person in our church, Justin, is a nurse at the hospital where I go. He always rearranges his schedule to take care of me during my bone marrow biopsies. He did this again weeks before COVID hit. Elizabeth, our beloved secretary, was the first one to realize I was struggling and invited me over to her home where we could be socially distant. It was so long ago, that Sita was curled up in front of the fire. Her companionship helped me immensely. Dennis, our pastor, was my steady guide throughout. I messaged him asking if I could call him with some issues. He asked me what I wanted to talk about. I said he would never believe it until I told him.
The second week of COVID shutdown was a disaster for me. My eye was all swollen, and my oncologist and I both feared I had COVID. She referred me to an ophthalmologist, who reported that something flew into my eye and bruised it. Whoever heard of that? Simultaneously, poor Sita has a sty on her eye and accidentally opened it, causing nasty discharge requiring eye drops. My poor cat hid under the bed and when he came out, I screamed because one eye was completely filmed over. I rushed him to the veterinarian and was not even able to go in with him. He had such high blood pressure the vessels had burst in the eye. Medication brought him back to normal and he is better. This all happened in a week! It was also Dennis who suggested when I expressed frustration, I could not do more in my seclusion that I write these articles. He knows me well!
Beth, who lost her beloved job, still reached out to everyone else and brought soup over, placing it outside my door several times. When we gradually opened up, she invited me to her back-yard oasis and social distancing. Her mother, Carolyn, figured out a pattern and made masks for people who are deaf and hard of hearing for my friend and me. She also invited me to her back yard.
When my air conditioner broke in my beautiful patio, Bob (who keeps our church standing) came over and fixed it for me. When my computer acted up and I did not know how to use Zoom, Kent came and fixed it. People sent me cards and e-mails and called me. Pat sends me cards every week, and Terry sends me confetti! I appreciate all the people who are still contacting me during this troubled time.
I also wanted to give. I scoured the Internet and found magnets, bookmarks, and faith quotations I could safely send through the mail. The post office calculated the postage, and I have sent them to people both in and out of the church. I am also convinced that the prayers of this congregation have kept my blood levels stabilized and my cancer in remission – my doctor and I could find no other reason for the prolonged remission.
Dennis always says that every single one of us has a contribution to make and this church does it. THANK YOU ALL for being my family and for showing me how to follow my favorite Bible verse, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” Luke 6:31