summertime in a global pandemic

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Mid-weekReflection#8May20,2020

ByTheRev.NancyYeeGreetingstoGod’schildreninChristJesus!

SUMMERTIMEINAGLOBALPANDEMICWell,we’vepassedthelongweek-endinMay,atimewhenweusuallystartthinkingofsummerplans.Crazily,thoseplansarenowcancelled,postponed,changed,transformed,putonhold,etc.Howeveryouwanttosayit,summerwilllookdrasticallydifferentthisyear.Howhaveyoursummerplansbeeninterrupted/changedbythepandemic?

+++Theboysofsummer(baseball)areinlimboliketherestofus.SinceDecember2019,MLB,theorganizationoverseeingbaseballinNorthAmerica,iscontinuouslyupdatingtheirstrategiesinordertosalvagesomepartoftheseason.AsofMay9,theyintendtobeginashortstintstartingearlyJuly.Suchoptimismandchutzpah!Ifyou’resoinclined,here’sanarticlelayingoutthetimelineofhowthecoronavirushasimpactedMLBandthegame.https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/a-timeline-of-how-the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-impacted-major-league-baseball/ Here’saninterestingarticleforbaseballlovers.Thearticleiscalled,“The1918FluPandemicdidnotsparebaseball.”https://baseballhall.org/discover/1918-flu-pandemic-didnt-spare-baseball

+++Summerthisyearwillnotbesummer.Notinthewaywe’veunderstoodittobe.Rememberallthosethingsthatmadeitfeellikesummer?They’regone.Orifthey’renot,they’renotaroundinthesameway.Summeralwaysfeltlikeitdidn’treallybeginuntilschoolendedinJunewithmostofJunefilledupwithfieldtrips,cleaningoutlockers,grads/promsandallthatentailed.Withthepandemic,schoolendedthisyearformostofusinmid-March.Themarkersandlandmarksforourfeelingsofwhatlifeissupposedtobelikehaveallchangedand/orevaporated.Hundredsofthousandsworldwidewillmisscelebratinggraduationthisyear.But,atleastsomeexperiencedpromthankstoLebronJames.HecuratedaspecialtelevisioneventforAmericanstudentsandteacherstocelebrateanimportantmilestoneinanyone’slife–graduation.Here’sawikipageontheeventifyouwanttoreadaboutit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Together:_America_Honors_the_High_School_Class_of_2020 ThecommencementspeechwasgivenbyPresidentBarackObama.Here’sthetranscript.https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/16/politics/obama-graduate-together-speech/index.html

+++Yes,theSummerof2020willnotbethesame.Allthosethingsthatgaveusasenseofsummerhavemostlydisappeared.We’regoingtohavetore-thinkhowwe’regoingtodosummerinsuchawaythatitwillgiveusthatsenseofbeingcarefree.Maybeplayingsummersongswillhelpreclaimthosesummerlovin’feelings.Rememberthesongsofsummer?Myhugeplaylistofmyfavouritesummersongs,includeChicago’sSaturdayInthePark,EddieCochran’sSummertimeBlues,Seals&Croft’sSummerBreeze(althoughsomethinktheIsleyBrothersrenditiontakesthissongtoanotherlevel),Slyandthe

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FamilyStone’sHotFunintheSummertime,anythingfromtheBeachBoys,MarthaandtheVandellas’DancingintheStreet.OneofmyfavouritesummersongsisGeorgeGershwin’sSummertime(inimitablysungbyBillieHoliday).Afewyearsago,RollingStonesmagazinepublishedalistofthetop50summersongsofalltime.Youmightagreewiththeirlist.Youmightnot.Anylistofthiskindisalwayssubjective.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-summer-songs-of-all-time-43407/ AnysummerplaylisthastoalsoincludeLatinandCaribbeanmusic,likemusicbyBebelGilbertoandShakira’sWakaWaka.ThissongwastheofficialsongforFIFA’sWorldCupin2010heldinAfrica.Rememberthosehornscalledvuvuzelathatgotbanned?Here’savideoofWakaWaka.Nowtellmethisdoesn’tmakeyoufeellikedancingonthebeach!Andwhatanupliftingsongforoursouls… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0Whatwouldbeonyoursummerplaylist?

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Forthepessimists,summeriscancelled.Nosummervacations.Nosummercamping.Nosummertravels.Nosummerfestivals.Nosummeractivities.Nosummernothing.Forpessimists,summerisgone.Andsummercanneverbesummerinaglobalpandemicandlockdown!Fortheoptimists,well,they’lljustmakethebestofit.Optimistsalwaysdo.They’llfindsomewaytocapturethosesummerlovin’feelingsagain.Ithinkyou’llfindsomepeoplewillbeverycreativeinhowtheyapproachsummerthisyear.I’vegotmoretosayaboutcreativitybelowinthisreflection.WhenGod’sCreativeSpirittouchesourcreativehumanspirits,whoknowswhatwillliftusupfromthedoldrumsofsummerinaglobalpandemic!IguessyoucansaytheYeefamilyisafamilyofoptimists.Inourzoomfamilymeetinglastweek,wewerelookingatpossibilitiesofwhatmightourfamilysummervacationlooklikethisyear.We’vebeentalkingabouttakingafamilytripforthepasttwoyears.First,itwasatriptoItaly.(Nevermindthatnow.)Then,acruise.(Forgetthat!)ThenitwasHalifax.(Doubtful).Now,ifoureldestdecidestocomehomeforafewweeks,(notsureifwe’recomfortablehavingSaganfly!),we’llbecontenttobuildafirepitandhavefamilyoutingsinourbackyard.Summerwon’tfeelthesame.But,atleastthesunisshining,thedaysarelonger,theweatherwarmerandwecangoforextendedwalksinthepark,evenifweneedtokeepatadistance.Wecanstilleatwatermelons,hearthebirdssing,andsitinthebackyard,listeningtosongsofsummerandsippingsangria!

Thisweek,Icameacrossarticlesdescribingsomethingcalled“summerdepression”.

Forsome,allthegoodthingsofsummerdoen’tmakethemfeelbetter.Andit’sprobablyworsenowforthosesufferingfrommentalillness

todosoinaglobalpandemic.I’veincludedinthisweek’semailtwoattachments

withsomeprayers,resourcesandbibleversesfordepression.Pleaseprayforpeoplestrugglingwithdepressionthisweek.

Andprayforhumanity’scollectivementalwellnessinthispandemic.

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ADVERTISINGINAGLOBALPANDEMICHaveyounoticedhowmanycompaniesarere-brandingthemselveswithadvertisementscontextualizingtheirbrandinthemiddleofapandemic?IremembermyyoungestsisterwhoworkedforamajoradfirminNYCcalledOlgivyduringthe9/11terroristattacks.Hermainresponsibilityinthedaysaftertheattackswastohelphercorporateclientsexpresstherightamountofgriefintherightwaywhilekeepingtheirbrandinthepubliceyeandconnectedtoconsumers.It’squiteachallengetohelpcorporationsexpressempathyinanationaltragedywheneveryoneknowstheirbusinessisaboutthebottomline.But,somecorporationsarereallygoodatconveyingauthenticfeelingsinacrisis.Theiradscanactuallyenhancetheirbrandrecognition.Others,notsomuch.Thecarmanufacturersseemabitoffintheircommercialsduringthispandemic.Whowantstothinkofbuyinganewcarinapandemic,evenifthey’reoffering0%financingandhaveamazing,entertainingads?Whoneedsanewcarwhenthere’snowheretogo!Here’saninterestingtakeonbrandingandglobalpandemics…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tTJ-WFm5ug Here’savideoonhowthepandemichaschangedcommercials…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo68WfoUFJM Here’savideoshowingthesamenessofcommercialsinatimeofcovid.Besuretoopentheinsightfuldescriptiontoreadit.Clickonthatlittletriangleorthewords“Showmore”justunderneaththevideo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM3J9jDoaTATobefair,somecorporationsdobetterthanotherswithoutreallytrying,giventheproductorservicethatthey’retryingtosell.TakeIKEA,forexample.Theiradsmakeyoufeellikethey’rewithyouandheretosupportyouinanewworld.IsupposeacompanylikeIKEAcanseemmorenecessarythanacarcompanyinapandemiclockdown.Afterall,whenyou’restuckathome,re-thinkingthewayyourhouselooksisnatural.Ifyou’regoingtospend24/7inyourhome,youmightwantittolooknice.Youmightneedthatergonomicchairsoyourbackdoesn’tkillyouafterhavingfivezoommeetingseverydayforafewweeks.And,maybeanicepicturetolookatwillhelpyourmentalstate.So,yes,somecompaniesareneededmorethanothersthesedays.Thanks,IKEA!

DECLUTTERINGINAPANDEMIC

Now,themiddleoflockdownisagoodtimetode-clutterthosejunkroomsanddrawersandtore-thinkourphysicalspaces.IthinkwecanlearnsomethingfromWilliamMorrisonde-cluttering.HewasaBritishtextiledesigner,poet,novelist,translator,andsocialistactivistassociatedwiththeBritishArtsandCraftsMovement.Herearesomepatternshedesigned.

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IthinktheMorrisquoteisagreatprincipletoliveby.Ithinkourhomeswouldlookandfeelalotdifferentifwelivedbythisquote.Ithinkmostofourhomestendtobehugestoragecontainersforthingswedon’twant,orneedorcareabout.But,weholdontothingsforreasonsthataren’treallyreasonable,giventhehealthimpactofclutter.Wouldn’titbeaninterestingexperimenttotryandapplythesetwoquestionsforEVERYiteminourhome? 1).“DoIbelieve___________________tobeuseful? –OR– 2).“DoIbelieve_______________________isbeautiful?”Ifyouranswertobothofthesetwoquestionsisnotothingsaroundyourhome,thenwhynotgetridofthem?It’sbecauseweholdontothingsweshouldn’t.WeapplyothercriteriabesidesMorris’quotetothestuffinourhome.Othercriterialikesentimentalityorexpense.Thisiswhatwesaytoourselves: “But,myfavouriteAuntClaragavethattome35yearsago.” “Ican’tgivethataway.It’stooexpensive.” “Imightneedthatsomeday.” “I’llsavethatformykids.” “ThatremindsmeofmyfavouritetriptoMexico!”Iknowsomeofyouarede-cluttering.Youeithermadeapre-coviddecisiontomoveanddownsize.Oryou’rede-clutteringbecauseyou’vebeenneedingorwantingtodothatforalongtimeandthislockdownhasgivenyouthetimetodoit.Cluttercanbeaheavyburdenonoursouls,evenifwe’renotawareofit.Ihopeyou’lltakethistimeasanopportunitytogetridofthingsthatareuselessanduglyinyourhome.Andno,I’mnottalkingaboutyourspouse!But,wouldn’titbewonderfultoliveinahomelessclutteredandmorebeautiful.Notintermsofluxuryoropulenceorwhatsomeoneelsesaysisbeautiful,but,whatyoufeelandthinkisbeautifultoyou.KonMariisade-cluttering/organizingmethodstartedbyaJapanesewomannamedMarieKondo.ShewroteaNewYorkTimesbest-selleronthesubjectandnow,everyoneisKonMari-ingtheirlives.UnlikeMorris,whoseaestheticprinciplesareaboutpracticalityandbeauty,theKonMarimethodinvolvesusingasenseofjoyasamarkertode-clutter.Ifyoutypein“KonMari”inGoogleorYouTube,you’llfindtonsofinformationonthismethod.

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IthinktakinguptheWilliamMorrisorKonMarichallenge,ifnotforyourwholehouse,thenasmallcornerofit,likeadrawer,mightsurpriseyoutoseewhatyoukeepandwhatyouthroworgiveaway.Ithinkdeclutteringandorganizingisabrave,courageousandcreativeactofself-love,don’tyou?AndIdon’tthinklovingyourselfinthemiddleofapandemicisselfish.It’sforgiveable.

CREATIVITY–GOD’SGIFTTOUSWe’reallhavingtolearntobecreativeinaglobalpandemic…inhowweapproachlife,inourattitudesandbehaviours.Ourmentalhealthdependsonhowcreativewecanbeduringthistime.Learningtouseourimaginationinanewwaycanbechallenging.But,IthinkGodisgivingusthistimetolearntobecreativesowecanhaveamorebalancedandhealthierlifeandcometoknowGod.Areyoufeelingapulltobemorecreative?IknowIdo.Here’sashortarticleonwhatcreativitycanlooklikeinthemidstofapandemic.Remember,creativityisn’tthesameasartistictalent.Youcanbecreativewithouthavingtheabilityandthetechnicalskillstopaintordraw.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creativity-the-art-and-science/202003/creativity-home-in-the-time-pandemic Herearethreetipsfromthearticletohelpyouwithbeingmorecreativeinacovidworld. 1.Startwithinterests 2.Beopen-ended 3.Beflexible,allowingforexplorationandplay.**************************************************************************************************Here’ssomethingyoumighttocheckoutthatmayhelpsparksomecreativitywithinyourself.https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/local-arts/pandemic-university-offers-creative-outlet-during-covid-19-quarantine/ **************************************************************************************************Mydaughter,Taylor-Anne,decidedtostartasketchbookofrandomarticlesshereadsonWikipedia.ShewenttoWikipedia’shomepage(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)andtotheleftsideofthewebpage.Sheclickedonthelink,fifthfromthetopthatsays,“RandomArticle.”Whateverarticlepopsup,shereadsaboutit,learnssomethingnewdetailand/orfactanddrawsherlearnings,thoughtsandreflections.It’squitefascinatinggoingthroughhersketchbook.She’sagoodartist.And,it’skindofhilarioustohearwhatsortofpagespopupforher.Itriedittoday.Thesecondclickgotmetothispage:“Prabagaran”.Ifyou’recurious,justGooglethiswordtofindoutwhatthisis.MaybeTaylor’sapproachtocreativitymightinterestyouindoingsomethingsimilar.Or,ifyouhavelotsofmagazinesorbookswithbeautifulimagesyoudon’twantanymorelyingaround,youcanstartagluebook.Gluebookscanbeafunandrelaxingwaytokeepsaneinapandemiclockdown.Whydon’tyoutryputtingtheword“gluebook”inaYouTubesearch.You’llgetlotsofideasonhowtostartone.Here’sacoupleofexamplesofgluebooks:https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=ofeVMGQzQBc https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=DZpJQcwPmsg&t=271s Thisisabeginner’sprocessvideoongluebooksby“Kagedfish”.Sheisthe“expert”ongluebooksonYouTube! https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=4LRRcA5v6z8**************************************************************************************************

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Herearewaysotherpeoplearebeingcreativeinapandemic: ! “Ravel’sBoleroJuilliard”–Talkaboutdancinginthestreetsduringcovid!https://youtu.be/rqzkn-jX-JU ! “Dorothy’sSong–Covid-19Version”https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=C-7gZYT7MKg ! “Howtopassthesaltwhilemaintainingpropersocialdistance”(Thiswillblowyourmind!)

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=nORRgU8sGdE! Someonecommentedonthisvideo,“Mybraincan’tcomprehendwhatIjustsawandheard.”Isay,

“Ditto!” https://youtu.be/z0PS3Sn-NRI! Thefinalproductlookslikeitwasdifficulttodraw.But,Ithinkanyoneofuscandothis.Tryitand

seewhathappens.Don’tgetdiscouraged.Itjusttakespractice.Besides,you’vegotallthetimeintheworldinlockdown.Ifyougethooked,youcanseemoreofJonHarris’arttherapysessions.JustclickonhisYouTubechannelname.You’llseeallhisvideos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2vbYpa-AWk **************************************************************************************************

BEINGFULLYALIVEBRINGSGODGLORYIthinkcreativity,lettingourcreativespiritexpressitself,bringsanalivenesstooursoulsthatnothingelsecan.Wearebornwithcreativesouls.We,aschildren,arebornwantingtoplay,exploreandexperiment.Ifwe’remadeintheimageofGod,thenbeingcreativeiswhoweare!Afterall,isn’tGodbothcreatorandcreative?But,thelongerweliveinthisworld,themoreweletacriticalandcynicalworldandourownfearkillthecreativespiritinus.Ihopeyouwillallowthisreflectionandthelockdowntoletyourimaginationrunfreeandtakethistimetorenewyourcreativespiritandseewhereittakesyou.Youmightbebornagain!Andyoumightrecoveryoursenseofaliveness,whichwillhaveadirectimpactonyourfaithinGod.ThissenseorfeelingofbeingaliveistiedtorealworshipandbringsglorytoGod.St.Irenaeuswasanearlychurchfather.Hewroteafamoustreatisewaybackin180AD.ItwascalledAgainstHeresies.Myfavouritequoteofhisis“God’sgloryishumanityfullyalive.”IthinkthismeansthatwhenJesusislivinginus,wearefreetobewhoeverGodwantsustobe,nottieddowntootherpeople’sexpectations.Whenwe’retrulyalive,wehavejoyinthemidstofsuffering.Whenwe’retrulyalive,wearethemostcreative.Ormaybe,beingcreative,beingallowedtoexpressourcreativity,withoutjudgement,iswhatmakesusfeelalive.Ifyougototheotherattachmentnamed“PartIandIITheGloryofGod”inthisemail,you’lllearnmoreaboutwhatsomeChristiansmeanbythequote,“God’sgloryishumanityfullyalive.”

THANKSFORREADINGSo,inhonourofsummerinapandemic,Ihopeandprayyouwilltakethistimeofself-isolationtobecreative,touseyourimaginationincreativeways,tofeelfreetoexplore,experimentandexpressyourselfcreatively,nomatterwhereitleads,whetherthatcreativityisexpressedthroughwritingpoetryorstoriesoryourownpersonalreflections,orpainting,crafts,knitting,sewing,cooking,buildingmodelships,etc.Thelistofpossibilitiesisendless.

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Someofyouarealreadyverycreativeandenjoyexpressingyourcreativityinmarvellousways.MaytheGoodLordcontinuetoinspireyouandkeepyouhealthysoyourcreativespiritcangrow,expandandsearchoutnewwaysofbeingcreative,withandwithoutthispandemic.But,remember,nocriticismorjudgmentofyourselforothersinthistimeofglobalcreativeexplorationisallowed.We’reallinthistogether!Weareourselvescreations.Wearemeanttocontinuecreativitybybeingcreativeourselves.ThisistheGod-forceextendingitselfthroughus.CreativityisGod'sgifttous.UsingcreativityisourgiftbacktoGod.~JuliaCameronThemostregretfulpeopleoneartharethosewhofeltthecalltocreativework,whofelttheirowncreativepowerrestiveanduprising,andgavetoitneitherpowernortime.~MaryOliver,"OfPowerandTime,"“BluePastures”.MaryOliverwroteoneofmyfavouritepoems.It’soneofhermostwell-knownandbelovedpoemscalled“TheSummerDay.”SinceIbeganmyreflectiononsummer,Ithoughtendingwiththispoemwasanappropriatethingtodo.

MaytheHolySpiritguideyourcreativesoulintheseprecarioustimessoyouwillknowwhattodo

withyouronewildandpreciouslife….

MayyouknowthecreativelifeinJesusChrist,OurLord!+++