Small Talk – October 21 2020 Required Facial Covering When in Public – Day 89 by Michael Small

Small Talk – October 21 2020 Required Facial Covering When in Public – Day 89 By Michael Small It is less than two weeks (13 days) before the November 3rd election. I dropped my absentee ballot off at the Cass County Court House and after tracking the status of my ballot at https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AbsenteeBallotStatusResult.aspx it clarified that for the “November 3, 2020, State General Election: Your ballot was accepted on October 9, 2020 and will be counted.” When reading those words, I breathed a sigh of relief. I would hope that 100% of the readers of Small Talk will vote. In Minnesota voting is easy and accessible today! If you want to vote in person, today, you may go to the Cass County Court House and vote. What a privilege, what an honor! Make it so! I want to reassure all of you that we, in Minnesota – in spite of what you see looking out your window – we are still in the middle of the fall season. Though waking up this morning to 3 – 4 inches of new snow challenges that thought. But I knew it was fall because there were newly fallen leaves on top of the freshly fallen snow. Then to top all of this I read that a Winter Storm Watch has been issued for north central Minnesota from Wednesday night through Thursday (10/21–10/22) for 6 – 9 inches of more snow. Every Tuesday, over what would typically be a time for lunch, I participate on-line in a Zoom conversation with MN Conference UCC staff and UCC Clergy throughout the state. I always leave feeling better, inspired, and with new thoughts. This week the host opened with words written by poet Gretel Ehrlich about the season of fall. She writes – “All through autumn we hear a double voice: one says everything is ripe; the other says everything is dying. The paradox is exquisite. We feel what the Japanese call “aware”— an almost untranslatable word meaning something like “beauty tinged with sadness.” I would encourage you to read, slowly through the words again, and pay attention to the images or words that jump out to you. Pay attention. Then I would ask you the question presented to us yesterday. “In this COVID-19 pandemic, what losses have you experienced? In this season, what goodness has been ripening for harvest?” Loses and ripening. In a sense death and resurrection. Change does not occur unless there is loss or even dying. Dolly Parton has written a song, “When Life is Good Again” in response to COVID and I can sing along with her – When life is good again I'll be a better friend A bigger person when Life is good again More thoughtful than I've been I'll be so different then More in the moment when Life is good again I'll open up my heart And let the whole world in I'll try to make amends When life is good again That day is coming . and has already come! May your life, all of our lives, be good again, beginning now! Now it is time to shovel some snow! In the spirit and agape love of Jesus, Michael To Donate And watch 10:00 am Sunday worship services at any time Go to www.uccwalker.com Find back issues of “Small Talk” .

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