Shampoo-Rinse-Repeat

When this is over, may we never again take for granted
A handshake with a stranger / Full shelves at the store
Conversations with neighbors / A crowded theater
Friday night out / The taste of communion
A routine checkup / The school rush each morning
Coffee with a friend / The stadium roaring
Each deep breath / A boring Tuesday / Life itself.
When this ends/ may we find
that we have become / more like the people
we wanted to be / we were called to be
we hoped to be / and may we stay
that way — better / for each other
because of the worst.
        —“When This Is Over” by Laura Kelly Fanucci

Lately, I have heard a lot of people reflect on the blessings of the past year and a half. And certainly, while there have been blessings and learnings that we will inevitably need to find ways to carry forward, these types of hyper-optimistic and cheerful reflections seem largely out-of-touch to me. This year has pushed me to my limits. It has felt sticky. It has been painful. It has created and revealed much vulnerability and gaps in our social infrastructure. More than relishing the blessings, I have wanted to wash the residue of this year down the drain.  
 

And as we start to reemerge into communities once again, I have found a new mantra: shampoo-rinse-repeat. I have been focusing on rinsing off the stickiness, the painfulness, the anger, the fear, the loneliness, the trauma, the grief, the loss, the longing. Shampoo-rinse-repeat. There has been so much that has hurt us. Shampoo-rinse-repeat. And once all of it is mostly rinsed off (and it may take a while), I may be ready to consider the learnings—and maybe even the blessings. But the spiritual life, teaches us to do things one step at a time. And the first step for me is to shampoo-rinse-repeat. This is how I will find the ground beneath me and find authentic ways to grow forward into more loving and hopeful community. I look forward to doing this work in partnership with you.

See you in (zoom) church,  
Christy