The feel of spring is almost palpable, isn’t it? I am already making plans to grill and be outdoors this weekend as much as possible.  Maybe it is more sunshine and longer days, perhaps it is the warmer weather, or maybe it is possibly (hopefully) the beginning of the end of our COVID-19 isolation period as more and more of us get the vaccine- regardless, I have a renewed sense of the ability to breathe again.  It reminds me of that tomb Jesus was in, and what it must have felt like on that third day when the stone rolled away and the first gust of fresh air entered that borrowed tomb. 
            Katy and I have been using this Lent to try and learn the lessons COVID has taught us this year.  Yes, it has been so hard and so much constant change, and the death toll is almost inconceivable at 1/2 of a million people, and yet in the midst of this wilderness God has taught us a few things. We have been reminded of how important it is to slow down, spend time with people you love, cook and eat together, and to take deep breathes.  These are lessons that I hope we take into the next year.  What has God been showing you the past 12 months? Have you learned about yourself, about self-care, been reminded of something that is truly important to you? Take time this week to walk with God and ask God that question- what are you showing me during this time? What do you want me to take with me as things return to semi-normal?  And as my spiritual director says, “stop talking, Jesse, and listen to what God says back.”  

Blessings, 
Jesse+