I want to be ready!  I am ready to get ready!  When can we get back to "normal"?  What does the "New normal" look like?  When can we know that and do that?  It's spring and I am done with everything pandemic related.  Ok, only the first half of that sentence is actually true.  It's spring. 

      The second half is a wish, a prayer, a desire that I think many are sharing in: I am done with everything pandemic related.  But we are not yet done.  It seems so close - how much longer? 

     I once had a running coach (when I did a couch to 5k program) and she would describe what it felt like to be out on a really long run, to be tired and ready to be done but knew she was "still a ways away".  Eventually, her nose would catch the scent of her barn and then she would have a pretty clear idea of how far away she was, she could turn on the final speed and get home.  She called it "smell the barn" time.  We've had a lot of scents come our way.  The problem is, we've thought every one of them was our barn.  This pandemic stuff is still so new and different, we don't know what the scent of our barn is.  It is frustrating to be out for a really long time and still not know when we'll be safely in our barn.  So, to carry on with the analogy, it's not yet time for the final homestretch speed.  We have to keep going along slowly and impatiently.  We might even have to circle the barn a couple times to see if it has changed.  To ensure it is safe. 

     Our Church Leadership Team (Church Council) meets regularly (via zoom) to discuss when and how we will eventually re-open.  If you are not on the team but want to offer input - please do!  You can reach out to Pastor Kristi, leave a comment on the website, leave a comment on Facebook.  Log on to a coffee hour zoom and offer up your thought, idea, or suggestion.  Yes, please offer thoughts and ideas!   Remember that some are fully vaccinated, some are partially vaccinated, some are still not yet eligible for vaccination, some are caring for folks unable to be vaccinated. 
I want to be ready!  I'm ready to be ready!  I want to see you all and worship with you and get back to all the stuff we did! 

But for now - keep going.
Blessings,
Pastor Kristi

   Spoiler Alert!  The last Sunday of this month is Palm/Passion Sunday!  It is still light out at 5:30pm!  I don’t care about the groundhog of last month, spring will make an appearance despite the snow!  We are officially and fully into Lent although I feel like the whole world has been experiencing Lent since the end of February/ beginning of March 2020.  We have sacrificed freedoms and celebrations, gatherings and singing for quite a while now.  We have been hearing for so long that there is a light at the end of this tunnel - that some have feared that the promised light was some sort of rumor or empty promise.
        Our country, our state, our community has experienced such loss and grief - we mourn the losses and we celebrate the “essential” that had before 2020 been taken for granted.  As we long for “normal,” let us pause and think for a moment what we mean by “normal.”   What have you learned in these last 50 weeks that may change your hope for what we will emerge into when we leave our isolation behind? 
        Local Covid cases are down.  The school reports regularly now “no new cases today.”  The number of folks that I know have been partially or fully vaccinated grows steadily.  When our Church Leadership Team deems it is the right time for in-person worship at Alplaus UMC, I will be ready!  I am certain that the time will come.
 
Blessings,
Pastor Kristi