Lois, I so much agree about the light shining when we are gathered. I think we'll have some great opportunities to do that in our congregation in 2022, especially when we literally have more light in the form of sunshine and we can spend more time outdoors. It sounds like you have made excellent use of your time during the pandemic, but I'm sure some parts of it weren't easy, especially in the beginning. It seems like you and I are both similarly nervous about the threat of Covid, even if we have different reasons. I hope that the coming months bring us out of our cocoons a bit so that we can truly enjoy time with others. We are lucky to have you as part of Nurture this year!

Hi Sandy! I'm really sorry to hear that the winter has been difficult for you as well, particularly with the family members upset. I so much agree that this devotional is very pertinent to our time, and it speaks to many situations in my life, not just on a personal level, but also as a member of our congregation and of society. It's so interesting that the theme of "light" is even appropriate on a seasonal level. We are coming out of a cold, gray winter. Just the other day, one of my Facebook acquaintances mentioned having a realization about seasonal affective disorder, and not realizing how much it was affecting them until they were in a place with sunshine. The sun will shine again here in Pennsylvania too, and I don't know about you, but I will be fully embracing its warmth. Many hugs to you!

Hi John! I completely relate to feeling like the pandemic is not over for those with medical issues. I myself have a medical condition that puts me in a high risk category. I've still been wearing my N95 in public, and most of the time I try to keep my circle pretty small. The thing that has helped me lately is shifting from a shared risk mindset to an individual one. Just as you mention in your comment that we cannot control the future, I've come to realize that I have no control over how other people respond or have responded to the pandemic. All I can really do is control my own response and try to protect myself and my family. This has helped me when I make choices about where to go and which precautions I should take. And I'll be honest, the constant need to make these decisions is exhausting. But I also recognize that staying home 24/7 brings its own brand of exhaustion and poor mental health effects, so I'm constantly balancing physical safety with mental safety. That balance doesn't look the same for everyone, and I'm learning that I have to respect others' reactions and responses to the ongoing threat, however small, that the pandemic brings. It's hard, but I'm slowly improving. Thanks for responding and sharing your thoughts!

Ellen, you make a really excellent point about social constructs feeding into the "shadows over sunbeams" mentality that is so easy to embrace. So often, we feel like we have to preserve niceness over honest truth and vulnerability. I remember during the very early days of the pandemic, when I would explain to people that I didn't think this was just a two-week "thing" that we were going to go through quickly. At the time, I didn't have all the information, but I was about to graduate with my Master's in a public health field, and I'd taken courses in epidemiology. I would watch as some would try to appease my fears, or maybe their own. When I look back on that time, I think about how my educated guesses about where the pandemic was headed were not nice or convenient, and I can't really blame people for reacting the way they did when I would say something like "I really think we won't get out of this thing until a vaccine is developed." In some ways, though, the joke's on me. Plenty of people have returned to regular daily living, and I'm busy thinking about when the next variant will strike. Perhaps I should take a different attitude during this time of low transmission rates and optional masks and think harder about what "niceness" means in my life and in my own interpretation of the word. Is "niceness" simply the complete avoidance of risk, and am I shutting out opportunities for my family because the nervousness I mentioned has taken over? There are so many ways to spin these words and apply them to different situations! At the end of the day, we're all just doing our best to bring light to the world.

I have felt much the same as all of you this week, having heard about the new Covid variant. The first time I read this entry in the devotional was about a month or two ago, and at the time I was hopeful that this fall's variant was starting to run its course. "Surely," I thought "this thing can't go on until next January, for the next six months, for the next year. There's got to be an end in sight." As I reread the devotional today, it hit me that I am just like the kid in the car asking "Are we there yet?" In reality, I have no knowledge of what the next year will bring, and trying to predict it with my intensifying sense of pessimism is not helpful, nor will it bring about the change I am wishing for. This past week, I really did find peace in relaxing time with just a few family members who I already see regularly, and I'm realizing that the change from the hustle and bustle of the regular holiday season is actually welcome. There are some silver linings after all. Wishing you all well and looking forward to interacting in this new way! -Olivia Knight