From the Pastor's Pen

Dear friends, 

I am feeling better!  Yay!  Several of you have been checking in with me after I cancelled outdoor office hours because I was feeling poorly.  Thank you for your concern.  I actually went to get a Covid test because my symptoms sounded too much like a possible Covid diagnosis.  I got the report this morning.  The test was negative.  Yay!  That’s a relief, particularly given that Mike and I saw about 100 people on Sunday in Sturgis during the drive-by Good-bye!

I am always amazed at how a little virus or a cold can bring your world to a standstill.  I usually try to push through a cold and keep working, but I rarely do very good work when I’m ill.  I find my mind goes foggy, and I get irritated with people easily.  My professor of Pastoral Care in Seminary said she believed illness was God’s way of making us take the sabbath rest we typically ignore.  I remember her saying she had read in the newspaper one morning that scientists believed they were nearing a cure for the common cold.  My professor said she immediately prayed, “O Lord, confuse their minds, or we will all simply work ourselves to death!”  Needless to say, she was a bit of a character.  Still I remember what she said, and I try to take the time to rest and slow down when my body rebels and gets sick.

I don’t believe, however, that Dr. Brown would not have had anything good to say about Covid 19.  This illness is on steroids and very dangerous, which is part of the reason I am so relieved that I have had a simple cold.  Once again, I want to remind you dear Presbyterians to be careful with yourself and with those with whom you share life.  The longer we suffer social deprivation and the longer we grieve for our old “normal” lives, the more likely we are to dismiss the whole thing as harmless.  We are more willing to take risks and believe that if we get it, we’re certainly strong enough to get through it.  Friends, for many of you, this is dangerous thinking. Please be careful.  Please be cautious.  Please take care of those dear Presbyterians in our church – that would be you!

Warmly,

Pr. Sally

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”  I John 4: 7