As you process the anniversary of the pandemic and all that came with it, it can be helpful to look back on the past year. We invite you to explore our “Looking Back at 2020” timeline and revisit some of Rev. Gretchen’s letters from the past year:
Vital Signs (March 27, 2020)
“Wherever you are, and however you’re doing, you are not alone. We are all in this together. After a couple of weeks of increasing intensity, things got even more real yesterday with Larimer County’s (and then soon after the Governor’s) instruction to shelter in place…We are in this together. We are all trying to figure out what life means now, how we can connect in meaningful ways – what courageous love looks like now.”
How Far Out Can You Go (April 3, 2020)
“It’s somewhat of a spiritual cliche to talk about “one day at a time,” but in these times, I’ve found it to be a life-saving mantra. Some days, I’ve found it’s more like one hour at a time… So for this week, I’d invite you to think about how far out you can go in your thinking without compromising your connection to life in its fullest sense. How far out you can imagine before you lose sight of joy or gratitude. And then just stay in that place.”
Four Ways to Respond Now (June 5, 2020)
“In this time of great uncertainty, the risk for all of us is that we become so overwhelmed we hunker down and just focus on our own survival. This is understandable, and even biological in some ways. And yet by our faith, we know that our survival must be forged in a path build on our collective survival, healing that comes not just for some, but for all.”
About the School News (August 5, 2020)
“I know, we’ve been pushed into our collective corners to struggle and grieve and deal and fail and try to make sense of what makes no sense – all by ourselves. But that’s not the real truth. The real truth is that you have community and companions and people who love you and who are rooting for you and your family. Some of them you’ve already met, and know well; a bunch of others you haven’t met yet.”
Whatever You’re Feeling, It’s Okay (November 25, 2020)
“It’s ok if it feels harder than you thought it would. It’s ok if you’re struggling. It’s ok if you’re scared. Just because it’s not new doesn’t make the trauma any less real. This IS a collective trauma we are experiencing. And what we know about trauma is you will feel it in your body. It’s normal to feel tired or wired, zoned out or super tuned in, nauseous or without an appetite. It’s normal to seek comfort in the most basic ways. Wherever you are, however you are responding, whatever is happening in your body, and in your heart, it’s ok, it’s right, and it’s enough.”
Acknowledging 2020 (January 20, 2021)
“Remember the full journey. The ignorance in which we lived for the first few months of the year. The shock and confusion as we moved into quarantine. The realization that this was not ending any time soon. The persistence of political polarization even amid a pandemic. The infuriating injustice of George Floyd’s death, then Breonna Taylor’s death. The systemic racism that remains at the root of our country. The ash falling from the sky as our beloved forests burned. The impossibility of online schooling while also full-time working from home. The long stretches of time without seeing those we love. The absence of hugs, and handshakes, and singing together. Acknowledge the whole journey.”