I did something last week that I haven’t done in a long time. It’s another one of the many things that COVID-19 has taken away from us. It felt so good.
I went to church.
We finally had an in-person worship service here in Virginia Beach. In case you don’t know, I’m here helping my daughter and son-in-law with daycare. I’ve been extended because the Navy base daycare is not accepting any new little ones during Coronavirus. Just call me “Grampnanny.”
Zoom Church
Like many other churches, the church here stopped having services in the church building sometime in March or April. Virginia was about two weeks behind Massachusetts. Since then there has been “Zoom Church” where the Pastor, Nancy Vaughan, leads worship for those that join in. Sarah and I have attended some with little Liam running around playing. Thank goodness there’s a “mute” button.
A few weeks ago the church met, set some guidelines, and this past Sunday we went to church. Everybody seemed so glad to be there.
It Felt So Good
The service was held outside in the church yard. One of the pastor’s relatives donated a flatbed truck for her to stand on and some musicians could set up their guitars and amps. Everyone had to bring a lawn chair and we sat in specific places. Circles were painted in white on the ground and they were all six feet apart. There were no handshakes and no hugs which felt odd but we could all understand.
One of the most interesting parts of the service was Communion. When we walked in, we all reached into a basket and pulled out a sandwich bag that had a plastic communion cup with juice and on top was a separate little container that held the wafer. That Amazon has everything!
One Thing I Don’t Like About Masks
We were a little worried about how Liam would behave. He wasn’t walking the last time we brought him to church. We asked to be set up near the back so he would have plenty of space to wander around. He was terrific. He walked around and made the little old ladies smile, at least I think they smiled. That’s one thing I don’t like about masks. He enjoyed his snack of goldfish crackers and snuggled with his mom. We brought plenty of toys too.
I don’t know what the plans are as we move forward. The weather tends to stay warmer a little longer in Virginia than it does in Massachusetts so we’ll see.
“This just feels right.”
When church ended last Sunday Sarah said to me, “I need a minute.” I later asked her if she was okay and she told me why she was a little teary. Sarah said, “This just feels right. It was nice.”
I know it can feel like this will never end and many of us are getting tired of COVID and hearing about the numbers. Just know that it will end. We’ll be together again. And it will feel just right.
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