Dear Ones,

It seems that we have come through the worst of the pandemic storm. As we mourn the loss of 604,000 fellow citizens in the US and millions more around the world, we also must take a moment to celebrate that we made it. Feel your feet on the ground and the beating of your heart- you made it. In a year and a half of fear and sadness it is good to recall all the losses we feared that did not come to pass. We hold grief in one hand and joy in the other. For those that were lost, we weep. For those that remain, we give thanks.

Psychologists tell us it will take a while-months or even years- for us to move out of the hyper-vigilance of pandemic mode. Our bodies are pumping too much cortisol, our brains are on high alert for predators, and we see danger where no danger lies. In this mindset we may assume the worst of others, even the people we love. If your spouse leaves a wet towel on the bed and you take it not as carelessness but as a personal attack- that’s post-pandemic brain. If the mail carrier doesn’t smile back at you and for a fleeting second you think they hate you- that’s post-pandemic brain. Let’s be extra generous with each other while we adjust to our new normal.

We can start moving out of pandemic mode by signaling to our bodies that we are safe. I am spending twenty minutes a day meditating, beginning my practice by breathing in for four seconds, holding my breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds. I also am benefitting from yoga, connecting my breath to my movement, so my body can stay in the present and not move into over-vigilance. Perhaps this is a good time for you to check out Tai Chi or Qigong videos online or at a martial arts center. Find ways to communicate to your body that you are safe.

Beside our gratitude and grief lie so many questions. Most of these boil down to: when can we be back together? When can we embrace one another, when can we sing together? When will we gather as a whole congregation in our sanctuary? Please know that these questions are being thoroughly considered by our board. Our elected, volunteer leaders are considering the Unitarian Universalist Association suggested guidelines (https://www.uua.org/safe/pandemics/gathering-guidance) for reopening, as well the percentages of people fully vaccinated in Ohio (44.61%- we can do better, Bucks!) and in Summit County (48.58%). And since UUCA is a family-centered congregation we are eagerly awaiting news that children can receive the vaccine. We are a loving fellowship made up of individuals who are ready to get back to group gatherings, and individuals who have impaired immune systems and are not ready to be in shared worship. Some of our kids carry the double-burden of impaired immunity and not being old enough to receive the vaccine. The board is considering the well-being of the whole church family in making these difficult decisions.

We hope- hope! Not promise- to be able to worship together in September. This may require that we have two worship services. Our fellowship hall has an extremely effective air filtration system (thank you board! Thank you stewardship givers! Thank you Foundation managers!) but it is not as large as the sanctuary. We may begin hybrid (online and in-person) services this fall with an early service geared toward families with children. At the early service we will remain masked, RE classes for children will be available, and the service may have a more conversational and relaxed vibe. The second service will be more formal and more traditional, with no RE programing. Both services will have coffee hour.

We hope that as the pandemic recedes we will be able to go back to having one service in our sanctuary. When that happens will depend on factors beyond our control. Frustratingly, so much over the past year and a half has been beyond our control. Please be patient with our leaders as we all try to navigate the new normal.

As we move through the unknown I find solace in the words of the mystical theologian and poet Rilke:

Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart

and try to love the questions themselves

as if they were locked rooms

or books written in a very foreign language.

Don’t search for the answers,

which could not be given to you now,

because you would not be able to live them.

The point is, to live everything.

Live the questions now.

Perhaps then, someday far in the future,

you will gradually, without even noticing it,

live your way into the answer.

May we be gentle with ourselves and each other as we live the questions and gradually live our way into the answers.

Rev Kate

PS- I am on vacation for the month of July. I’m planning to backpack in the mountains in Washington State. I look forward to being with you when I return on August 1st.