Wednesday Word: Support

No man is an island . . . We are all in this together . . . It takes a village to raise a child . . . All for one, and one for all.

These are just a few sayings having to do with the understanding that . . . well . . . we are all in this together. Whether that be in careers, church, school, or society in general, we rely on other people for a whole lot of things, some of which we may not even know we are relying on other people.

Sometimes that reliance is frustrating and tenuous. I'm thinking back to group projects in school where it always seemed that one person didn't contribute much of anything, thereby either dragging the whole group down with him/her, or setting the other members into overdrive and reaping the benefits of their labor for his/her good grade. Some office teams are that way, being a team in name only.

On Monday I sent out a Daily Meditation expressing my frustration with technology that failed mid-service. And while I normally don't use this forum to express frustrations, I wanted to let you all know how that negatively affected me, especially during a service that so many of you had asked for – Holy Eucharist.

The upside to all of this for me was the number of e-mails and texts I received from various parishioners. Those were messages of support. They were messages reminding me that we are all doing the best we can with what we've got. They were words of encouragement to not give up. And I was reminded yet once again why I am so blessed to be part of this community of Saint John's.

Through everything we have been through in the past several months, we know that we are all in this together. We work to ensure that nobody feels alone on a deserted island. We are a beloved community even though we are scattered about unable to gather together in-person.

I am thankful for everyone associated with the production of Sunday services. I am thankful for the words of encouragement I receive from any number of people when I have one of THOSE days. I am thankful for the assistance and presence so many of you offer to so many of you.

As we move into the fourth month of the COVID pandemic, as we continue to be physically separated and distanced from each other, as we continue to work toward doing our part to help stop the spread of this pestilence visited upon us, let us never forget to continue to support each other. If someone has been on your mind lately, call them, or maybe write a note and mail a card. If you are feeling frustrated with whatever situation you are in, call someone and ask to vent.

We are all in this together and we can come out of it stronger than when we went in if we remember that we are a beloved community linked to each other in good times and bad.

So, in the words of Bartles & Jaymes,

Thank you for your support,

Todd+