Living through this pandemic feels like the middle times;
Waiting times;
The in between times.
We have waited for the pandemic to be contained
With lots of activity
Testing. Isolating. Treating.
Quarantining. Avoiding crowded places.

We learnt new realities.
Wearing masks. Washing hands countless times.
That burials of loved ones can take place in our absence.
Funerals don’t always have to attract great crowds.
That weddings are valid even with a handful of people.
That what we held as irreversible truths and values can change overnight.

And in the waiting
We too discovered new realties about ourselves.
Our resilience. Patience.
That connectedness is not simply about being physically together.
That alone we can be united.
That in these times we can still reach out to others in acts of kindness and concern.

We reaffirmed realties we have probably forgotten.
God lives in our hearts and we can worship him even without going for public masses.
That family is important.
That in protecting ourselves, we protect others too.

So when this time is finally over,
In the not too distant future,
We will look back and reaffirm the lessons,
The new values,
The new ways of looking at reality, ourselves, others.

We will know that it is in the in between times that we grow most.

 

Sr. Mary Gitau IBVM
Kenyan Province