There is an article about grief that resonated for me. We as a society are experiencing collective emotions in a way that most of us never have. The author points out that emotions are inherently dependent on motion.... they swell through us. Or stumble. Or stampede. 

 

The five stages of grief as outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross helped people understand the waves of response.... denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and acceptance. These wash through and over us in random sequence even within a single day. Some of us lingered in denial around the pandemic for longer than others, and there are many occasions of anger and bargaining to point to. Sadness can linger as we process all we have lost. Perhaps we make headway into acceptance each time we manage to ramp up to a new demand we are presented with.

 

Last week the twins and John and I figured out a new way to do the Easter marionette show. We have always done it in a room full of young children as a live performance. Instead of kids there were cameras, retakes, spotlights and edits. It was less satisfying than smiling into the faces of three year olds in their brightest dresses, their fingers curled around a bunch of daffodils. But we adjusted. 

 

The article adds one more stage of grief. After acceptance comes meaning. Surely the Easter story is poignant for just this reason. Jesus was murdered at a time in history when people were craving salvation. They needed saving, which it turns out we do too.