Dear friends,
A Moment of Panic
There are times we panic. My moment of panic came on Wednesday, January 5, when the internet at my place suddenly stopped working.
I don’t think I panicked this much when I found out my positive PCR test result. I don’t think I was frustrated this much when I found out that I had to isolate myself from the rest of the world between 5 to 10 days. My mind was going over everywhere: How will I put the online service together? Do I need to get an unlimited internet plan for my cell phone? What about my wife’s work? How are my kids going to take online school?
I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Rogers to figure out what happened. They kept telling me to unplug and plug my router and modem, yet nothing worked. Later I was told that they found an equipment issue in the area. Fortunately, the internet service recovered after an hour.
When it came back, I felt this great relief. I felt pure joy, thankfulness, and excitement for having the internet back.
During this week, I have been thinking about the feeling of gratefulness and happiness I experienced on that day. After a few days, I will probably forget that feeling of gratitude, excitement, and joy and start taking things for granted again.
But for this week, I want to treasure that feeling of gratefulness and happiness, just a little bit longer. I want to remember that fleeting feeling of loss, panic, and helplessness, just a little bit longer. All those feelings remind me that I am alive and a human who needs God’s grace each day.
I don’t know when the pandemic will come to an end. When it does, may we not forget what we have felt, learned, and experienced too quickly?
May we remember to treasure all we have experienced during this pandemic and ask God to deepen our awareness of God’s grace, mercy, and presence in our human life.
Rev. Chuck Moon
A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, January 15, 2022, edition of Tidbits.