“Are you ready for church?” I call downstairs.
”Yup. Be right there,” Gerry calls back.
And like we’ve done every Sunday for the past ten weeks, we gather in the den where I work some magic to get my phone display to broadcast on the big screen TV and we have church.
Afterward, we talk about what we gleaned individually from the message and how it influences our choices, then Gerry heads out to the back yard, where he’s laying out markers to indicate where the underground sprinkler runs in preparation for a building project, and I head downstairs to the woman cave and put watercolour paint on paper.
Later, we drive to the grasslands to an area Gerry was at with his hiking friends a few days earlier where the arrowleaf balsamroot flowers are still at their peak. We wander in a field and get down on the ground and shoot photos. It’s a beautiful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Any afternoon.
And the low grind in the back of my mind is silent.
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Maya and I are guests at Kathy Pooler’s Memoir Writer’s Journey blog today. C’mon over and say hi!
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And in other news, The Presence of Absence releases tomorrow!!
Next Sunday we move to “Gather in Person” status at church. We reserve tickets like one would for the movies, but with spacing to accommodate CDC guidelines. Never before have I been in the balcony. I hope to meet some friends whom I haven’t seen since March 8. Families with children gather around tables in the dining room – no child care.
We’ll see how it all goes. Our pastor has used traffic light signals to indicate our slow progress. Now we approach the amber phase. Yay!
Lines that stood out: “And the low grind in the back of my brain in silent.” Here’s to more spaces of time like that.
P. S.Best wishes on the launch this week!
No signs of our churches opening yet here, Marian. How interesting that you reserve your space to meet social distancing guidelines. Understandable. We are in the first phase of opening things up. I’m happy to stay home where “the low grind in the back of my brain” is quietest. Have a great day!
Linda, we’ve lived the last several weeks as you and Gerry have on Sundays. Like you, I enjoy “the low grind in the back of my brain” at its quietest. We too are in Phase I of reopening in our county, and we are in no rush to move forward. Our church still has a red light signal, and that’s OK for now.
Like you, I’m in no rush to return to what was, in terms of busyness, Sherrey. That said, these weeks have taken a toll on my mental health and highlighted some changes I need to make. Even in that, a gift.