[Magdalen] Where are we

[Marion Thompson]

All hail, the great ZOOM!!!  Zoom is one of the great Goods to have come
out of all this.  I'm happy to join in anytime anywhere -- and I don't even
have to get out of my chair!  Bliss!  Hello, world!

Marion, a pilgrim



On Mon, 21 Dec 2020 at 10:33, cady soukup <cadyasoukup at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thank you Judy for the goad that moves us!
>
> Prayers offered for those of us in pain of any sort, those of us
> feeling isolated, those of us who miss in-person gatherings for any
> reason (oh - live music & singing!). May we each find our own ways to
> experience the love of our Lord, and may we each experience in our own
> way the wings of the Holy Spirit hovering over us as we move through
> our days.
>
> This year gets a mixed review from here - I have been watching my tech
> job disappear (the great move to the "cloud" - or, as I call it "other
> people's computers"). Jan 4 is my last day on the contract, Jan 14 is
> my last day for the company. I am looking for other jobs but have lost
> motivation somewhere in the conflicting layers of 2020. On the other
> hand, we have been able to keep ourselves healthy so far.
>
> The highlight of the year was a trip from Virginia to Cave Creek, AZ
> to assist my best friend (who had serious knee reconstruction surgery
> in October) with the Sonoran Arts League "Hidden In the Hills" arts
> tour over the weekends before & after Thanksgiving (6 days). Maggie
> and her husband, an artisan blacksmith (and mountain/rock climber, and
> caver, as we are), hosted 5 other artists at their in-progress forge
> and shipping-container-house site for the tour. I was able to drive a
> 6-seater 4x4 to get arts tour visitors from the "parking lot" (a
> gravel road) to their site. The artists were great fun, had a
> wonderfully productive year and tour (better than any previous year),
> and inspiring conversationalists! I navigated the 3 airports and 2
> VERY FULL airplane fights, the tour, and visiting with mask and
> without infection. Phew! The anxiety!
>
> Our church is in transition as of Jan 1 2021. (In our diocesan region
> of 10 churches, quite a few are in transition right now. What a
> challenge!) Trinity, Washington (VA) provides weekly Facebook/Youtube
> virtual services, but with a separate pdf bulletin (I use a
> combination of my phone (video/sound) and tablet (service pdf) to
> "attend" - I am impressed by Suzie's dedication to putting the words
> with the music. We have a pastoral care group actively contacting
> parishioners via phone calls and emails, but we have not tried to
> deliver communion, which might alleviate complaints from our parish
> members? What a great idea! I don't know if that is verboten in the
> Dio. VA?
>
> Today is "mail out Christmas presents day" here - yes, we are late! We
> will have an isolated Christmas, but my Sis-Swister (Swiss sister) is
> setting up a family zoom call on Christmas Day - our first!
>
> virtual hugs & hope & prayers to all - Cady
>