Three Years On…

As winter begins to give way to brighter days (though somewhat reluctantly this year), memories are stirred of that spring, three years ago, when the world stopped. I wonder if it will always be this way.

It starts with the weekend camp I lead at the end of February. I remember that camp in 2020 – receiving the email midway through with the new coronavirus policy and the comment that “you probably won’t need it.” The camp that year ended on 1st March and it blows my mind to think that in a few short weeks, we went from 70 of us spending the weekend together to complete lockdown.

It’s crazy to think how quickly it went from being a distant situation in China to being something that impacted almost everyone in the world. It’s strange how, even as the severity of the situation progressed, we really had no idea what was happening.

For me, March 16th was the last bit of beautiful normal. Around 6pm that night the announcement came that we were to limit social contact and avoid crowded places. At 7.30pm I had a band rehearsal. I was unsure whether to go, but I went and found that most others had done the same. The restrictions were only advisory at that stage, and I think we needed a little time to process it all.

For two hours, we mostly forgot the pandemic and enjoyed making music together, though my mind did turn at times to the band on the Titanic, playing as the ship began to sink. As we packed up to leave, our conductor said, “See you next week.”

Reality hit for most of us at that point, and a chorus of voices echoed, “We won’t be here next week.”

“Yes you will,” he insisted. “Unless the boss says so or you’re dead.”

It was 16 months before we played together again…

March 23rd signified the official start of lockdown in the UK. Everything was closed. Everything was cancelled. Life was on hold. I still can’t get my head round the fact that for almost four months it was illegal for me to meet face-to-face with another human being.

Three years on, I’m thankful that in many ways life has returned to normal, but the pandemic has left its mark on each of us as individuals, and on society.

As I look back, the words of Lamentations 3 come to mind:

“I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss.” (Lamentations 3:20 NLT)

But fortunately that’s not the end of Jeremiah’s thought. He goes on to say:

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”” (Lamentations 3:21-24 NLT)

If there is one positive thing I have taken from the pandemic, it is gratitude – gratitude for the little normal things that I would have taken for granted pre-COVID. At the start of 2021, I compiled a long list of things I wanted to do that year and as the year progressed I wrote the date against each item on my list that I got to do. None of them were spectacular; they were very, very normal. The list included things like seeing my family, church in person, playing music with others, seeing my work colleagues face-to-face, and travelling outside my council area.

While I no longer have a list, I am still celebrating doing “normal” things I haven’t done in over three years. Last week, I attended a theatre production in the town where I grew up. I spent a significant amount of my childhood in that building and have regularly visited since, but this was my first time since 2019. This week, I will go into schools to teach Easter lessons, also for the first time since 2019.

During the pandemic, my friend suggested that, when it was over, 23rd March should be gratitude day, when we should spend time with family and friends and celebrate the fact that we can, when we can remember all the little everyday blessings that were taken away and have now been restored.

I like that perspective.

I don’t think I will ever forget those dark days of 2020, but I am grateful that this week I have gathered for church and to play music, I have spent time with friends and worked in schools, I have had the freedom to travel where I wanted and to be in face-to-face contact with as many people as I liked.

Despite the challenges, and despite the fact that there are some things that will never be the same, I have seen God’s faithfulness.

I’d love to know: What are your thoughts as you look back on 2020? What “normal” things are you grateful for?

Linking with: Inspire Me Monday, Tell His Story, InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee, Recharge Wednesday, Tune In Thursday, Grace & Truth