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I’m going to get a bit religious here, so consider yourself forewarned.
I want to talk a little bit about hope, Noah’s ark, and this photo:
A thread.
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I want to talk a little bit about hope, Noah’s ark, and this photo:
A thread.
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Lately, things have been looking pretty bleak.
We are hitting the second wave of COVID pretty hard (or should I say, the second wave is hitting us). Discussions in clinic seem to be shifting from “When the pandemic is over…” to “If we all make it out of this okay…”
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We are hitting the second wave of COVID pretty hard (or should I say, the second wave is hitting us). Discussions in clinic seem to be shifting from “When the pandemic is over…” to “If we all make it out of this okay…”
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The days are getting shorter and darker and colder, and the weather seems terribly daunting.
I for one am very nervous about what the winter is about to look like.
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I for one am very nervous about what the winter is about to look like.
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How are we going to visit with family when we can’t sit outside and schmooze? What are we going to do when meeting for a walk or a hang in the park isn’t so simple?
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I was pondering these things today as I rode home from work on my bike.
And just as the despair started to creep in, the skies opened up and the rain poured down.
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And just as the despair started to creep in, the skies opened up and the rain poured down.
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I felt the cold rain penetrate my not-waterproof jacket and pants, and it just felt like the most perfect moment of the pathetic fallacy.
But then, just as suddenly as the rain started, the clouds opened up and I was treated to this sight:
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But then, just as suddenly as the rain started, the clouds opened up and I was treated to this sight:
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Almost unconsciously, I muttered the Jewish prayer said upon seeing a rainbow:
“Baruch ata adoshem elokeinu melech haolam, Zocher Habrit”
“Blessed are you, oh God who remembers the covenant”
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“Baruch ata adoshem elokeinu melech haolam, Zocher Habrit”
“Blessed are you, oh God who remembers the covenant”
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This prayer is a reference to the story of Noah’s ark. In the bible, we learn of the great flood that almost destroyed the world. Noah saved humanity by building an ark, and after Noah and his passengers reached dry land and the rain stopped, God sent a rainbow.
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The rainbow was a covenant – a promise – that God would never again allow the world to be destroyed in this way.
I like to think that our rainbow today meant something of the same thing.
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I like to think that our rainbow today meant something of the same thing.
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Despite the darkness we are all facing, I find solace and comfort in this sacred ancient story, and in these sacred ancient words.
I also find responsibility in it.
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I also find responsibility in it.
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A covenant, like a contract, is a two-way street. We have to keep up our own end of the bargain, and in doing so, protect one another.
Now is the time to look at our fellow human beings and remember our responsibilities to one another.
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Now is the time to look at our fellow human beings and remember our responsibilities to one another.
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As we look to the second wave of COVID, we need to remember that our actions have an impact on our fellow humans.
We will need to keep making sacrifices to keep each other safe. We will need to show each other strength in times of weakness and light in times of darkness.
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We will need to keep making sacrifices to keep each other safe. We will need to show each other strength in times of weakness and light in times of darkness.
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I hope that each of you finds some comfort in this, as I did.
Even if you are not a Jew, or religious at all, I hope that the rainbow bring you hope. I hope that it reminds you that we are all responsible for one another. And as such, we are all here for one another.
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Even if you are not a Jew, or religious at all, I hope that the rainbow bring you hope. I hope that it reminds you that we are all responsible for one another. And as such, we are all here for one another.
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