Living in coronavirusworld 230: Blowin in the Wind

 

12/16

Channukah lights

It’s the seventh night of Channukah. 

I meet my friend Steve for coffee in one of the tiny Stella Artois plastic houses. No heat, but being out of the wind helps. This ongoing plague has taken its toll. There is this realization, that even with the vaccine, there’s a numbers issue of how many will need to take it and how many need to have antibodies for how long that it could be quite some time before we’re out of the  woods. Anything like normal still far away. We talk some about a not often talked about question, namely how the children of Israel worshipped while in exile. I’ve heard a recent talk suggesting that the beginning of rabbinic Judaism began in the Exile and the first century conflict between temple and synagogue reflected in the Bible may actually have had its roots in the Exile. And that the gospels' conflict  between Jesus and the pharisees is anachronistic in actually depicting a struggle over leadership after the fall of Temple Judaism. In the early first century, they were essentially on the same side. Steve also reflects how different movements begin as responses to what has become established, eg, Reform to orthodox, Conservative to reform, etc. 

on 86th Street

As I finish my afternoon errands, the snow begins to fall. Walking in the dark streets, I’m cheered by an unexpected Channukah menorah. 

Later in the night, our super Nicky and a helper are shoveling out the sidewalks. Kids are coming home with sleds and snowboards having been out playing in the snow. I look for the perfect snow scene. And don’t find it.

12/17

Maybe six inches. Nowhere near the predicted 18. Still no in person school for kids. But there will be “remote instruction.” The pandemic inspired “remote learning” has ended the always cherished snow days when school would be cancelled and we’d all head out for a day of sled riding, snow man building and snow ball fights. Those days of unexpected freedom from the routine and almost innocent celebration of the short lived respite a snow can bring are yet another victim of covid. Hey, we’ll just do remote. Just like always. 

The Center …and church..both heavily impacted by Covid, are struggling to balance out the demands of money versus mission. And how to potentially conflicting demands in the relationship. This will not be easy. 

Spend all day working on my concert and then have to deal with unexpected tech issues which ultimately threw me off. Both Facebook and ZOOM found their own ways to defy expected and manageable results as if possessed of a will other own, or perhaps demons. I struggle to the finish line of what I had planned as a unique response to our current reality in this season. I feel defeated. My son says, Blame it on 2020.

Part of my disappointment was wanting to do a solid tribute to my friend Dan who died recently of Covid.  Play a video of him singing. Just couldn't make it happen.

I sing “Blowin in the wind”, as Dan and I did in 1994 Christmas concert, in its original form recalling Peter,Paul and Mary at their 1987 Carnegie Hall Holiday concert. It’s final words, “…how many deaths will it take til we know that too many people have died?” ring painfully truer than ever and with all that’s uncertain, the answer is indeed "Blowin’ in the wind..” We finish with “Let it Be” “…there will be an answer, Let it be.”

                                                   "Blowin in the Wind"