Prairie Musings

 Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory… (Collect for 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Year B, BCP) Epiphany—the season of light…Have any of you, like we have, left some of your Christmas lights up a bit later this year? The ones on the bushes in our yard are still burning brightly, and I think they will be lit all the way until Ash Wednesday. This in-between time is always a hard time of year for me—The Christmas and New Year’s holidays are over, the Wise Men have come and gone, and we’re left to clean up behind them, squinting through the dark and snowy days of deep winter, fighting to find that light and hope we were singing about a few weeks ago. This past week, I came across a book of reflections and poems by pastor and writer Howard Thurman (who was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.), and reading it gave me courage for this mission to f

A moment filled with conflicting emotions today as I get the COVID-19 vaccination at NEMed...Gratitude for all those who made it happen and for my fellow front-line workers...Hope for the future and widely available vaccine for everyone and an end to this...Horror for all the pain and sorrow and death I and all of us have witnessed...Grief for all the patients and families we have offered comfort to when comfort is not to be found...Frustration and disbelief as I see that there have been 1.5 million new cases and 18,500 deaths in the past seven days and still there are so many denying all this tragedy...Anger as I see so many still not doing the simple act of caring for neighbor and stranger and wearing masks... So many feelings, going in so many directions...I find today that the unanticipated, biggest side effect of getting the vaccine is not tenderness in my arm, but the flow of tears.