"Brace, Brace, Brace!" - Reflections On The One Year Anniversary of The Pandemic

I will forever remember the weekend of March 15, 2020. It will be marked as the weekend that many churches had to pivot or close their doors due to the pandemic. I was in St. Simon's Georgia for a conference for smaller churches in my denomination. My beloved fiancé was the guest preacher. As we were waiting for the Friday evening program to start, I was scrolling through my phone and noticed posts by some of the pastors in our private Facebook group. "Who's closing for worship this Sunday?" Within the hour, many were posting about their plans for shifting and adapting worship for what we thought would only be a few weeks. I called our staff together virtually and we made a list of churches who were closing, streaming, or remaining open. I jumped on Facebook Live with a quick word of encouragement for those who had to switch to a digital format over the weekend. I can remember honestly thinking that we would only have to deal with this for weeks, maybe a few months.

At the end of the weekend, we headed back to Brunswick airport. We boarded a smaller plane to make the trip back to Atlanta. As soon as we took off, something felt off. There were noises I had not heard before. I looked at Alonzo with raised eyebrows. I looked at our colleague in front of us with raised eyebrows. For the first time in my life, I heard the pilot tell us that we were having trouble with plane. For the first time in my life, I heard the instructions from the pilot for how to brace for an emergency landing. I had no idea what was going to happen next. We had no idea what was in store. The pilot gave us clear instructions. If we heard him say "BRACE, BRACE, BRACE.", we needed to get in position by leaning forward with our head between our legs and with our arms hanging down. They told us that we are turning around to get us back to the airport. Within minutes of turning around and waiting to land, I had no idea what to expect in the moments ahead. And then we heard it. "BRACE, BRACE, BRACE." Alonzo and I looked at each other, said "I love you" and took the proper position until we landed safely. 

Brace. Brace. Brace. For the past year, I have thought of that phrase and the prophetic moment of preparing for landing. Nothing could have prepared us for all we have seen over the past year.  Brace. Brace. Brace. We had no idea of the impact of COVID, the need to face the reality of racial strife and brokenness in our country, and ways in which our lives would become a hybrid of in-person and virtual reality. And here we are one year later wondering what life will be like as we make our way to the other side of this wild ride. 

I am grateful to be here while I still mourn the communal loss that has occurred. I will always hold this phrase in my heart. But I feel like I'm ready to Brace, Brace, Brace for what is ahead. I'm ready to brace myself for healing and restoration in all its forms. I'm ready to brace myself for new understanding, new ways of being, and new lessons to be learned in the days ahead. I'm ready to brace myself for the moments when I can experience the energy of large gatherings without fear.  I cannot wait to see what we learn as we grow and brace the world together. 

Brace, Brace, Brace!

~ABL