For those of us in the United States, September 1 acts as reminder that Labor Day is just around the corner, which marks the official end of summer.

This year of course, it feels a bit different. Missing is the usual excitement of children returning to school, and the last chance to gather with family and friends with this national holiday.

If we read the news, or we have children of our own, we know that the return to school this year is full of anxiety. We have been cautioned, over and over again, that gatherings (even with family, unless you live with those persons) without observing the proper protocols can be dangerous, even life threatening.

How long can this go on? How can we manage? What can we do? What should we do?

So much of life is an unknown, but rarely has so much unknown been packed into one global experience. Perhaps the answer lies in the “global”: we are not alone. We’re all living in the same reality. Some of us are fortunate that we’ve only been asked to stay at home, or wear a mask if we go out. Others live alone, and the isolation must be overwhelming. Others must go out; think of those thousands of people working to keep our essential services available. What would we do without the thousands of nurses and doctors and others working in hospitals who work beyond exhaustion to try to save the lives?

We are not alone. Others suffer with us. Others support us. Others love us and care for us. If we can, we must bring into our thoughts and prayers all those who feel alone. If we do, they are not alone. If we can, we must do something for someone else. We are not alone.

We are not alone. God is with us in one another. God loves us, and God suffers with us. With God’s grace, we can see the opportunities to help others through this. Or, we can see that God is with us in our anxiety, our loneliness, and our inability to help others.

We are not alone.

Obtained from https://www.ccvichapel.org/post/a-new-year-un-año-nuevo

On the header, image by United Nations on Unsplash.