Reflections on a Year Past, Looking to the New Year

 Where do I start?  Since March 2020 nothing has been as it was. Life changed forever that month. By this point I, along with a lot of others, thought that we would be largely beyond the pandemic.  But here we are in the midst of another 'surge' with another Greek letter designation.  So much division has arisen over this crisis.  Vax or not vax. Masks or no masks.  Lock downs and quarantines.  I think that the COVID crisis has forever changed our culture and society.  On a discussion board where I am active I posted the following today:

There is a predication that the Omicron "wave" will peak by the end of this month.  Although COVID has shown a proclivity toward regular mutations, I think that 2022 will see us moving in the direction of the virus become endemic.  Much of the nation has moved on from the draconian lockdowns of 2020, and although there is currently a surge across the nation, I think that it will burn itself out soon.  However, what I think it has left in its wake is more than the physical effects of a massive viral infection.  It has left for many a germ paranoia that may never lift.  I fear many may remain essentially isolated for years to come, fearing what may happen if they emerge fully into the general public. 

I think that COVID will also leave a lasting impact on the way much of the world works.  The technology was already there pre-pandemic in 2020, but now the desire to work from home is becoming normalized, and some industries are embracing it, in part, I suspect, for its cost-saving benefits.  That said, I think we learned a valuable lesson when we took education fully remote.  Some things are best done in person.  Education suffered when we locked down, from elementary all the way through college.  Not only did we learn that online is not always ideal (and I say this as one who teaches part time online), we also learned about the wide disparities in internet access.  I hope that in 2022 we see an increase in the infrastructure necessary to make internet access more of a standard utility since it has become one already by default. 

2022 will be a year of adjustment and realignment as we slowly move out of a pandemic mindset.  The world will not be the same.  It changed for good and for bad in March of 2020.  But 2022 may be the beginning of our efforts to reconstruct a post-pandemic society. 

There, that's my prediction for the new year. 

You can be the judge of whether my predictions are true.  As they say, time will tell. 

For me personally 2021 found me in good health, and that is a lot to be thankful for in the midst of a public health crisis.  I realized this simple blessing when I finally go around to taking off a Sunday, the first in a year, back in October.  I had preached, at minimum, twice weekly for an entire year without missing a single week.  I know that I should have taken time off, but life is complicated.  We adopted a cat (a Russian Blue) from our local shelter at the end of January.  She is a dear, sweet feline, but unknown to us, she ended up with, how do you put it, 'special needs.'  I think that being in the shelter for eight long months did a lot more damage to this poor cat that we at first realized. 

She was depressed when we first met her and later we discovered that it is possible that those months did some damage also to her urinary system and bowls.  Inconsistent and unequal diet (too many supplementary snacks to coax her into eating), lack of real exercise, depression, they all took their toll.  We have been trying to deal with all this since, and now realize we may never get her back to 'full' normal.  But Bella (we renamed her; she was "Bubba" - seriously!) is a special part of our little family and we would never part with her.  It limits our trips as a family, as we will be gone for a day, but never over night. We hope that 2022 brings a few answers and some more healing.  

This summer I completed my fifth year of teaching homiletics (preaching) for Concordia Theological Seminary - Ft. Wayne.  Although it occupied a lot of my summer, I remains a highlight of my year.  When I went back to school for a post-graduate degree (STM-Nashotah House, 2016), my goal was to teach beyond the parish.  This course fulfilled that goal.  I suspect that, if they continue to contract my services, I may very well teach into my retirement years.  We'll see. 

It was at times a very active and also a very slow fire season.  I am now completing three years with the city's fire department as one of their first (and at present only; we started with two and one resigned this past year) chaplain, having been sworn in January 2019.  As of this month I am also completing 19 years with the department I first joined back in January 2003 (Town of Antigo Vol. FD) where I also started the first chaplaincy program.  I am now a veteran of the department, and at age 61 I continue to offer full fire service, interior and exterior, driving, wildland, etc. One highlight was my chance to be in the 4th of July parade for the first time in all those 19 years!  Here I am driving one of our engines.

As for my district service the pandemic interrupted our normal schedule of convention, and we postponed the tri-annual one that should have taken place last summer.  So instead of a three year first term as District Secretary, it is going to be a four year term.  I suspect at this point that I will be re-elected to another three year term at the convention this summer.  A lot of my work is concerned with reviewing constitutions from congregations that are submitted to me.  I am quite thorough, and I think that the board has come to expect and appreciate that thoroughness.  It can be tedious work at times, but I am glad to provide it for the greater good of the district. 

As of the end of December my 'countdown' to retirement has begun.  I am now four years away, as I say, from Medicare age (65).  By the end of 2025 I will have a bit over 38 years in full-time parish ministry.  I do not intend to fully retire, but will work both inside and outside the church.  Having watched people retire over the years I have observed that the healthiest ones are the ones who remain active.  So I will assist with preaching, and will, as I indicated before, continue to teach if they still need my services, and I will probably remain engaged with district work.  Beyond that I look forward to doing more writing, something it has been difficult to pursue with any regularity given my busy parish schedule.  I might also teach more, having tried my hand a couple of years back at university teaching.  I may also pick up another part-time job to supplement my retirement income.  Lot's to do.  

So, how about this coming year?  Much of it seems like it will be a continuation of the year just past.  I do not see any significant changes, but then only God knows what is really in store for me.  I pray that my family remains safe and healthy, and I will continue to work to build up my congregation as we crawl out of this pandemic.  

Blessings to all in this upcoming year!  May the Lord sustain and watch over you.