May 2021: the recovery continues
A difficult school year comes to an end
The month of May was marked by a return of many of the rites of passage which had been denied to last year’s graduating seniors. Both Dexter High School and Southeast Missouri State University were able to hold in person graduations. Prom, concerts, sporting events, and school plays all found their way back onto the calendar.
As the school year came to an end there was tangible excitement that life was once again pointed in the right direction. Mask mandates were being rescinded and the CDC lowered the vaccination eligibility age to twelve. Social distancing was no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals. People were beginning to get out again and local graduates were even able to take long delayed senior trips.
Even as we celebrate the successful completion of the school year, it is necessary to take a moment and recognize just how difficult this year has been for educators, students, and families. Teachers and professors had to learn how to teach in new ways. Hybrid education is twice as hard as being either completely online or in-person. Health restrictions and quarantines regularly interrupted the educational process.
Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to serve as an occasional substitute teacher in the Dexter schools. It has been a privilege to see how well everyone has done with the constant stress of the past year. Despite it all, students continued to learn and teachers continued to teach. It was a blessing to see how they persevered, and even thrived, in that environment. I am incredibly grateful for all they have done for the kids in our community.
Church, family, and friends reconnecting
In the same way, life in the church has begun to take on a more recognizable shape. We had our first indoor baptism in over a year. The church board voted to return to full seating capacity in the sanctuary. Activities and small groups resumed. Hospital and nursing home visits are more permissive and I have had the chance to visit more and more people in their houses unmasked than I have in months. This face to face contact with the people in the church is the thing I have missed the most about ministry over the past year.
Likewise, it is increasingly feasible to spend time with friends and family. We were able to celebrate the end of the semester by taking an end of year float trip on the Current River and rent a cabin in the Ozarks. The community calendar is filling back up. Events like the county fair and Memorial Day commemorations were canceled last year. This year they are back on. Dexter is even going to be hosting a contingent from the Commemorative Air Force later this summer.
Prayers of gratitude and continued concern
It has been gratifying to see how far we have come already down the road to recovery. I am so grateful for everyone who has worked so hard to make this progress possible. This past year has been more difficult than any year in recent memory and I continue to pray for those who have suffered so much. I also pray for those places around the world who are still in the midst of the worst of the pandemic. I look forward to the day when they can begin to feel some of the same relief we have experienced this month.
