Last week I wrote a pretty optimistic post about the coronavirus situation, which has now reached pandemic status. Bars, restaurants, gyms, churches are closed and people are advised to stay at home as much as possible; if you have to go out you are advised to maintain a 6 foot distance between you and the people around you.

This is hard, folks. Even for me, an introvert, I have a hard time imagining what an extended quarantine would look like for me and the hubs. We are used to our routine– going out for breakfast, going to bible study and to the gym. The hubs was supposed to travel in April and have knee surgery in June or July and was supposed to be in rehearsal for a community theater show, but all of those things are cancelled or at least put on hold for the foreseeable future. I, as a pastor, am navigating whether or not we meet for worship– yes, we’re a small congregation of about 30 in worship, but I don’t want to put any of my (mainly older) congregation at risk. And how do I, and my colleagues, do in person ministry when we can’t visit people in person?It is new territory for all of us.

I give kudos to the governors of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio to make the decision to ask everyone to stay home for awhile. I would not want to have to make those decisions. But I feel for parents who now have children at home or needing childcare, and for restaurant and bar workers (and others) who can’t work from home and make such a small wage– something around $2-3 per hour without tips– that any unemployment benefits they might receive will be a pittance. I feel for parents of kids, and the kids themselves who get their main meals at school.

There are a lot of people suffering right now, and right now when people need comfort and hugs it is much harder to make those connections. It would be really easy for some of us to slide into a routine that doesn’t involve leaving our houses. So those of us who like to stay home, we need to make an extra effort to reach out to the people we know. Hearing the human voice is going to be what gets us through this, so phone calls are the best (and I have discovered in the last 24 hours that zoom is wonderful); however, cards are good too and sometimes it’s nice to get that surprise of something pretty in the mail.

For me (and the hubs, as we have talked about this) another hard part is the uncertainty of it all. We human beings love our routines and we like knowing what to expect more than we like uncertainty. We don’t know how long this homebound thing will last, how long schools will be closed, how long restaurants and bars and gyms and other places of business will be closed. It is unsettling at best.

So I encourage you, as we go forward, to stay connected, any way you can. To go for a walk in your neighborhood (maintaining the 6 foot distance from others). To pick up the phone and call your family, your friends, your neighbors. To sign up to zoom or skype or another of the video chat services that are available. I was in a Bible study with other pastors on zoom this morning and it was so great to see them and for us to share our experiences (and yes, do some prep for Sunday.) For me, it is a way to stay out of my own head where things are pretty scary already and can only get worse if I let them.

If anyone needs someone to talk to you can reach me at revscarter1400@gmail.com or on facebook direct message at Sharon Davy Carter. DM me if you need a phone call. I am here and would love to hear from anyone who is reading!