Wednesday Word: Change and Loss

“All change brings loss” – The Rev. Joanna White, Canon for Pastoral Services

Mtr. White gave a reflection on grief during the clergy Zoom meeting last week. Out of everything she said, this caught my attention the most, probably because she followed that up by saying, “Not all loss is negative.”

We tend to think of loss from change in negative terms. The company changed direction and I've lost my job. Mom's health changed and I've lost my mother. COVID changed how we've always done things and I've lost my friends, community, job, home, health, sanity, etc.

And while all change brings loss, not all loss is negative. I've changed my eating habits and lost weight. The doctors changed my medication and I've lost my pain. I've changed jobs and I lost a toxic work environment.

But more often than not, change and loss are never so black and white. It's all a mixture of gray. I changed jobs and lost familiar surroundings and close contacts with friends and family, but that was balanced out by having a good work environment and being surrounded by new friends and new places to explore. COVID changed how we did things causing a loss of the familiar and comfortable, but that's been balanced out by new learning, new skills and new opportunities. Even the change from online-only worship services back to in-person has both negative and positive issues we must address.

We are (hopefully) coming out of the COVID pandemic. “Coming out of” doesn't mean “free and clear.” We still need to pay attention. We still need to be careful. We still need to wear masks, watch our distancing, get vaccinated, and take other precautions. This journey has forced us to change in ways we would not have ever dreamed about on February 15, 2020.

That change has brought an incredible amount of loss, probably overwhelmingly negative, but some of it positive. So as we begin to come out of the pandemic I hope you are able to find areas that could be termed 'positive loss' in your lives and think on those things for a bit. As we begin to come out of the pandemic, I hope you are able to see opportunities for new growth, new ways of doing things, and new places of joy.

All change brings loss, but not all loss is negative. I encourage you to find those areas of positive loss and allow yourself a moment of enjoyment in what has been a rough year.

Blessings,

Todd+