A space topause...to say Ahhh men!

After the monstrous COVID-19 virus attacked this nation, our state and then, slowly but surely, even our community life in Dripping Springs, Texas, was seriously interrupted.

I’m saying life before COVID was as good as it gets in our community, where neighbors are friendly and we all work together to make our schools better, opportunities for kids more available, our town more attractive, safer and more welcoming to all newcomers of all backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and ideologies.

Although the days have somehow blurred during weeks of self-quarantining, it seemed as though “stay-at-home” orders came quickly. No grocery shopping — just curbside pick-up. No trips except for the essentials -like healthcare, except we learned about Telehealth... Telemedicine.. .Call-A-Doc, so even healthcare could be handled at home.

In the first days of that quarantine, it was novel - to sleep later, to have more family time, a chance to read those books on the shelf, to dive into our hobbies...to change the paint in the great room or clean out the bedroom closets.

But, then what?

I was hearing from family in our multi-generational household and close friends that having so much time wasn’t so good after all. A college professor bemoaned the fact that she was missing her interactions with her students. My teenage grandson missed meet-ups with friends, playing video games in-person .... and his younger sister, accustomed to spending six days a week at a local dance studio, was suddenly cut off from lessons, her friends and her instructors. Truthfully, we were all getting antsy as the walls began closing in.

But then, things changed.. .at least technologically.

Suddenly, my granddaughter was able to have dance lessons on Zoom, using a laptop, a portable barre and a special dance floor in the living room. My older grandson was finishing his senior year online and his older sister was continuing university classes, extracurricular activities and game nights with college friends, all from home.

To keep up with friends, family and business, we began doing more face time and also tuned into Zoom meetings and various webinars. Yes, we were still quarantined, still at home, still ordering dinner online and picking up our food from local restaurants, but we were doing more, socializing more, not in person, of course, but ultimately feeling less locked down.

Then a friend mentioned a Wednesday evening, ecumenical prayer circle meeting through Zoom. Everyone of any belief could attend. Scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m., it fit into my work schedule and after several months of living with COVID-19, I felt taking a deep breath, mid-week, would strengthen my resolve to balance my life - mentally, physically and spiritually -- even as our war with COVID continued to rage.

I have just completed a month of meeting with the Prayer Circle.. .and the experience has been far beyond my expectations. Those who attended were free to pray or just listen, whatever was comfortable.

From the first meeting, I felt a lightness in taking a pause from work and the usual activities of our household. For this single hour during the week, I could focus on the needs being prayed about. Most of the names were unfamiliar but they needed prayer - the sick, the unemployed, those who are employed and those struggling to survive - as we all are - and when I offered my prayer, I was thankful to have this space to express gratitude, not only to God, but also for men and women who go to work every day, those caring for COVID’s victims, ministers, those teachers, maintenance departments, bus drivers and administrators, charged with keeping students safe, the restaurant workers, staffing our local eateries, delivery drivers, hospital staff and so many others.

The Wednesday 5:30 p.m. Prayer Circle offered by Dripping Spring United Methodist Church brings together people from many walks, all ages and different needs and situations. It’s a time where we have room to step back from the day-to-day, take a deep breath and think about others as well as our own blessings, great and small, our joys and our difficulties.

It’s an ecumenical space in time I treasure, and if you seek a place for personal reflection, I highly recommend this or any other Zoom Prayer Group in Drip.

Anyone seeking to deepen their relationship with God through ecumenical prayer is welcome and invited to call 512-894-9123 or email [email protected] for more information.