Reflections By the Rev. Corrine Dautrich After a storm, the clouds inevitably part and give way to sunshine. For more than a year, we have been living beneath the cloud of COVID-19, but now there are hopeful glimpses of bright sunshine. Millions of Americans have received their COVID vaccines, and we’ve turned the corner on the pandemic. As of this writing, the long-term care facilities have opened for family visitations again—with the necessary precautions in place—so it is good to pause and give thanks for all our blessings. On a recent visit with a resident at Good Shepherd Home - Bethlehem she shared with me; “I got to see my family for the first time in a year!” As I was listening to her tell the story and share photos of how much her young adult children have grown, I found myself welling up with tears as her heart was so full of gratitude and praise for the reunion that occurred. She was so excited about seeing her family again. These reunion moments offer us blessings. I was giving blessings to the patients in the pediatric unit, and one little girl who was pushing a shopping cart with stuffed animals in it began crying when I attempted to offer her a blessing. When she learned that her pink bunny and her doll would also receive a blessing, the crying stopped. These blessings offer us peace. Three Good Shepherd Home - Raker Center associates recently had babies. Their pregnancies and deliveries were either before or during the midst of the pandemic. The gift of new life for these young families is a blessing. May we take heart and be reminded of all the blessings offered to us by our loving God and share God’s peace with others. n
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The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 NRSV
