Submitted by Brad Inglis
How can you help but become sentimental at this time of the year? I always get nostalgic on Labour Day weekend as the season seems to change, people head back to their old routines, there is a hint of fall in the air and all of a sudden, the mums begin to appear. And the thing about this year is that in some ways it feels like things hardly got going. Folks were here who we would normally see but we all laid so low that we often missed what would have been great reunions. It felt very strange not seeing the summer folks at church, let alone no church at all. Everything just felt a little off centre.
It’s not like the fall is going to be any better. For those who are experiencing what feels like the stages of grief, you aren’t alone. As we walk through these early days of the new covid regime, it is very much what you experience in the first year after someone you love, dies. There is a sense of disbelief. Those thoughts that make you remember what you were doing last year at this time when things were “normal”. There are feelings of frustration, anger and uncertainty – that sense that nothing is going to be the same. And guess what, nothing is going to be the same. Old traditions and ways of doing things are being interrupted. Going out somewhere feels more cumbersome. Winter vacations are never going to look like they did. Many will have to come to terms with the fact that their winter travels are over. I don’t believe there is anyone who isn’t grieving the loss of something.
Planned Reopening Postponed to October 11th
So, all the more reason to be gentle with each other. Our church has postponed our planned opening until Sunday October 11th, which is Thanksgiving weekend. I would love to throw the doors open and make it a community wide celebration but the reality is, currently, we can only accommodate 30 people maximum in the building. So how do we celebrate little successes? While the weather still cooperates, invite a friend or two over with masks, for a front porch visit, get some take-out food while you still can and keep reaching out to friends and neighbours with phone calls, email and snail mail (you can even send someone a bouquet of flowers). All is not lost, just different.
I am happy to make physically distanced visits, you don’t have to be a member of Tobermory United. Join our email list and be prepared to be bombarded with updates about three times a week. You will receive a link weekly to Tedtalks, maybe get some good links for other organizations who have taken their services online (like Bluewater Life Long Learning https://www.bluewaterlearns.com) and our weekly Youtube service – which is great because you can fast forward through it and still say you have been to church!
There is a document produced by the United Church of Canada and I can’t help but feel that it applies to all of us in some way. In the document it says, “we cannot keep from singing”. It is just that reminder that no matter how hard times get, we are all built to be resilient. We are all born with a song in our hearts and when we dig deep enough, it is always there, some semblance of joy that cannot keep us from singing.
Brad Inglis is the minister at Tobermory United Church. He can be reached at binglis2@me.com
www.tobermoryunited.ca
