By Shannon Williams
It has been a Monday in every sense of the word and it is still not over. It was just crazy; a whole group of my employees got their medical insurance cancelled for no reason. As you know, medical insurance is as good as gold for many of us and to be without it is very scary. I have spent the better part of the day trying to find out who entered information into our HR system to end this coverage and it must have been the Easter bunny as no one can figure it out. I spent a great deal of my day on the phone with helpdesk folks who were trying to figure out where this action came from. While I can do a lot of things on the computer, I don’t speak computer and when I have to, I just make a fool of myself. I think the fact that I can even use a computer is a small miracle, since when I started my career I was typing my work reports on a typewriter with 5 pieces of carbon paper; and I cannot spell, OMG, the days I spent in my office crying. But God looked down upon me and they hired a secretary who could type from my dictation!!!

As the day kept going and going downhill, I kept telling myself, oh no not today, you see I wanted to keep the feelings from the sunrise service! I wanted to feel the hope and strength I felt among you all, as we sang and listened and watched that glorious sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico. I have attended many gatherings of the spiritual nature in my years and always came away feeling better than when I arrived, but as I sat there in my golf cart, next to my hubby, all wrapped up in blankets, I could not help to think of this past year and what we are were dealing with. I remembered those who I knew and loved who had lost the battle to COVID, three of my high school classmates have died during the year after getting COVID. I prayed for their families and then had to be so grateful that I did not lose a family member as so many did. I gave thanks for those who had fought COIVD and WON!! Sitting there in a crowd for the first time in so long was so moving, we were together again! I listen to the music and also listen to the sounds of the seagulls and the waves, the moments that we all prayed in silence were among the most moving for me.

All day, as I struggled, I was listening to Jonathan Livingston Seagull on that same computer I was fighting with. I was on hold, again, but I was going to hold on to that feeling of hope as long as I could. I love the passage that states, when two or more are gathered in my name; ok, we had more than two, we had a whole beach full!! There was power, there was hope and we were together again! I know many of you were thinking the same thing, of how it felt to do something that we took for granted for many years. I hope we don’t forget to be grateful for so many things that we griped about missing this past year.

This week I am getting on a plane again, and most of all I will see my son for the first time in 416 days, but who is counting! I will get to hold him in my arms. I have told him I want him to crawl up in my arms and let me rock him. OK, he is 30 years old and is not going to do that, but we both know that first hug will be so grand and I will be grateful for it! As we continue to return to a life that is not ruled by COVID, let us all give thanks for all of those routine things that we get to do again. Let us do them with joy and hope and with a smiling face. Let’s let others know we are glad they are on this journey with us and as you feel comfortable to HUG AGAIN.

I ran into a friend at the Big Store and for no reason, just said, I want to hug you and opened my arms up. I caught him off guard, but he must have sensed for some reason that hug was important and hugged me right back. So, as I drag my luggage in and out of rental cars and hotels and off of baggage claim, I will be joyful in doing so, and I am going to not whine to myself or anyone about having to wear a mask on the plane; I am going to skip down that skinny little airplane aisle like a school girl. So, as much as I tried to hold on to the feeling from Easter Sunday, I hope we all will hold on to the feelings of joy we have as we return to being with each other. As the Crabfest is coming up and we will have fun and eat great food, and listen to music under the stars and watch those cute doggie races and many more things, but let us remember to be glad we can be together again.

[April-5-2021]