When we first started social distancing and the shelter in place initiatives back in mid-March, our Children’s Director, Jennifer Acker, gave a Children’s Moment that talked about "big feelings". She said that children and adults are having lots of big feelings right now, and that is to be expected. I’ve thought about that quite a bit. In our house, we have two adults, three kids (one tween and two teenagers), two dogs, one cat, one hedgehog and two turtles. To say that there is a lot going on over here would be an understatement. But, also, there isn’t as much going on as usual. Activities have been canceled. Plans have been postponed. Milestones are now up in the air as to when and how they will happen. We are enjoying lots of family time and also LOTS of family time. All of this leads to "big feelings".
I’ve mentioned before that one of the ways that I stay centered is through music. Listening to music is one of my spiritual disciplines. I include all kinds of music, not just what is typically considered sacred music. I thought that sharing what I’m listening to these days may help someone else find a way to recognize some big feelings and even ways to find strength to keep doing what we need to do right now—whether that is staying home or going to work as an essential employee, taking care of family or spending another day alone, enjoying all the new ways to connect or finding it all just too much.
Below are links to a Spotify playlist and a YouTube playlist of my Soundtrack for Social Distancing. If you have any songs that are especially meaningful to you right now, please let me know. I’d love to listen to them.
My prayer for all of us is that we allow ourselves to feel the big feelings, to name them, and to recognize that Jesus had those big feelings too. God sits with us in the "big feelings" and feels them with us. We are not alone.