Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Marie Gagnon
Listen
When the daily reflections began at St. John’s, I heard the words, “the time of the pandemic was the most sacred of times”. At that moment I was stunned! I don’t think I heard another word after those comments. How could that be? The world as I knew it seemed to be spinning out of control. The life that I knew was gone in a heartbeat. How could this possibly be “the most sacred of times”? Did I really hear those words correctly?
Who would have thought that a microscopic virus could bring the entire planet to a full stop. Everyone has been affected. I missed my extended family, my friends, the happy times of celebration. And this is “the most sacred of times”? I could not wrap my brain around that! However, my brain would not let that phrase disappear either!
The milder days of March beckoned me to venture out to walk for some exercise.
My husband and I would walk to town. Almost every store and restaurant had signs posted, “closed due to covid”. It was eerie to experience the silence of a usually very upbeat active city. And my head kept hearing,”a most sacred time”. Since the days stayed reasonably mild and free of snow, we walked almost daily.
Fortunately, we got to hike in the woods, listening to twigs crackling under our boots; we enjoyed the sight of freighters guided into in the harbor by the tugs; we rode to the beach to hear the sound of waves lapping at the shore, or sometimes hear them pounding on the the rocks with a fierce vengeance. All these deliberative experiences allowed us to not only keep some semblance of sanity, but also gave us the key to unlock the meaning “the most sacred of times”.
It seemed that I was so preoccupied with the chaos of the times, I was not hearing the wonderful sounds in nature. Once I began to focus on that, I could release the negative energy swirling in my head and replace it with an open heart to receive God’s grace. The respite from my“normal” activities , gave me time to reconnect with my inner self. For that I am most grateful.
So, I guess this time of covid is “a sacred time” after all.
As I age I feel a stronger urge to cling to what I know, but in the sounds of silence in my heart, I am learning to be more open to hear God’s voice in every twist and turn of this great journey called life.. I want to respect the past, learn from the past, but I also want to have the courage to move forward into the future with grace and dignity. That is why I am so grateful to have walked into St.John’s a few years ago and I have never left after that welcoming Sunday. Thank you to the staff and members of St. John’s. I will always be grateful to have found you.