October 15, 2021
Greetings, Calvary!
It has been back from parental leave for a month and a half and it has been a joy to be with you all again. The "again", for me, isn't only from parental leave but also from the Tuesday before Julian was born back in February 2020. I missed the closing of the church building due to being on parental leave with Julian and I missed the re-opening of the church building due to being on parental leave with Mavis. In the month and a half of being back at work, I have been learning how to work onsite as a mom, how to lead in hybrid capacities, and how to balance working from home and working at church.
My learnings aren't unique to my experience but I venture to guess that many of you are learning to reemerge from shutdown safety measures. Maybe for you, it's figuring out how many gatherings/activities/commitments you allow back on your calendar; you're trying to determine what you feel comfortable with when it comes to doing things in person or doing them online; life already feels like it's going faster than you'd like and you're trying to get back to the slower rhythm that came with shutdown safety measures.
Life is a continual journey of learning, so we aren't new to this need to learn once again, but unlike other times of learning, we are all learning together. I hope we can find comfort in this season of shifting and adjusting. I hope you can find the freedom in saying "no" to invitations that come up - even when they come from the church. I hope you listen to your body's wisdom when it feels tense, or your heart rate increases, you notice you aren't sleeping well, you feel lighter, or you can breathe easier. Then get curious about what could be the source of how your body is responding to experiences in life. And in that curiosity maybe you can learn what needs to be added, removed, adjusted as you identify what you need in this new season of learning.
Most of all, I pray each of us can tend well to our bodies, minds, and souls this season. If I can journey alongside you as you explore what will allow you to tend well to your collective being please know I will do what I can to journey with you.
Be gentle with yourself if this experience of learning is hard for you; it's hard for a lot of us, you're not alone. And as you are gentle with yourself as you tend to your well-being know that you are healing the world too - and I don't know about you but the thought of healing the world gives me hope for this season of life and beyond.
Take Good Care ...
Pastor Morgan