Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
EMBRACING FAMILY
Alleluia! Praise God! 2020 is over! Easter is almost here! The COVID vaccine is here!
While we eagerly said goodbye to 2020, we realized that we had not reached the goal of overcoming the coronavirus and having life return to some semblance of “normalcy.” As more and more people receive the vaccine, there is far more hope that the end of this COVID journey is in sight.
It’s exciting to be able finally to start doing things again! But it’s also tempting to want to erase COVID from our memories. Doing so would erase valuable lessons.
Rather than focusing on “crossing COVID off our to-do list,” why don’t we reflect on some of the positive changes that the pandemic has brought to our families and our communities and decide how we want to continue those changes even as our state gradually opens up.
Pre-COVID | Post-COVID
Endless cycle of busy-ness | Sometimes “less is more”
Hyper-scheduled kids | Importance of play, creativity, reading
Different schedules — dinner on your own | Family meals are invaluable
Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. | Slow down and appreciate faith, family, friends
Sometimes too busy for prayer or church | Attending Mass in person is a blessing
Masks are a nuisance | Mask wearing shows how much I respect Jesus in others
What else describes our pre-pandemic life? How do we want our post-COVID life to look like?
We eagerly celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday and continue to celebrate it throughout the Easter season. While the stores have been filled with Easter eggs and Easter bunnies, and our churches will fill with Alleluias once again, let’s take time to reflect on the change, the conversion that took place on our Lenten journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving rather than focusing on “crossing Lent off our to-do list.”
What lessons did Lent teach us that we would like to integrate into our post-Lenten (Easter) lives?
Pre-Lent | Post-Lent (Easter)
Praying alone or quite isolated from others | Prayer — Inviting others to join me in prayer
Defaulting to social media to pass the time | Fasting from social media and being of service
Allowing politics to become divisive | Fasting from negativity in word and action
Using COVID as an excuse not to volunteer | Almsgiving — Making volunteering a priority
Dreading another virtual meeting | Reaching out to family, friends, neighbors who are suffering or may feel isolated
What else describes our pre-Lenten life? | How do we want our Easter life to be?
While it is tempting to cross 2020, Lent, and hopefully COVID off of our “to do” list, let’s remember that life is far more than a checklist. It’s a beautiful faith-filled journey where we become the people we are today after lessons learned. Let’s not go back to our pre-COVID, pre-Lenten “normal” lives.
We are an Alleluia people who have grown through a year-long trial of a pandemic which has included two Lenten journeys. Let’s celebrate this Easter season and re-emerge into our communities with a new sense of perspective, purpose, and gratitude. Let’s make conscious choices now before we get so busy that we begin to forget that each day is a precious gift to be lived, not “crossed off.”
We’d love to hear from readers. How will you incorporate the lessons you’ve learned through this past year of COVID and Lent into your post-COVID Easter life? Questions or comments can be sent Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com. We would be honored to lift you up in prayer and respond, as well! If desired, you may remain anonymous.
