Last year, as the Pandemic was taking hold of our consciousness, we scrambled to make a “new life”. Home supplies, dealing with work arrangements, and potential financial woes – all led to isolation, fear, and anger.
But we survived, mostly.
Life is different than it was on January 1, 2020 – the year of perfect vision and the month I turned that magical 65. Back then, we knew nothing, had prepared for nothing, and had nothing in our eyes but getting through the year. A funeral in September 2019…and another one in January 2020… Well, life’s events did not prepare us for the world to come.
But we survived, barely, it seems.
Then we watched the antics of the year unfold. Store shelves empty. Marches, riots, politics…nothing assuaged the feeling of hopelessness that gripped our nation and much of the world. There were feelings of loss, victory, and “…will we ever get back to normal…”? The year ended.
And our survival possiblities seemed like we would be victorious.
The drug companies raced supremely against their own record and produced not one but several vaccinations. The front-liners? Inoculated. Politicians? Cared for. Rich and famous? Yep. They got their arms pricked. Now, it’s our time. Maybe. Who knows?
Pause, Consider And Realize…
We’ve learned nothing, even though we’ve been here before. The searching for innoculation is a full time job through the various online systems we are told will answer our questions, secure our place in line, and give us the protection they say we all need.
But wait. New strains. Ongoing vaccinations in the future. COVID may simply become the normal.
We’ve been here before. About this time last year, in fact. Scrambling. Unsure. Fear. Isolation. Anger. Lost. Sometimes it’s the frustration of being in that never-ending wheel that we see rodents exercise behind a glass caged window.
Last year, after my bride retired, we begin preparing for our newly designed and much anticipated “new life.” Only, it was the strangest year! This week, last year, we begin by driving to Texas for an extended leave from responsibilities. It was time to say goodbyes in the graveyards and hello to our families. COVID cut it short, and we felt like we barely made it home. Hotels canceled our stay. Food was drive-thru only—plenty of gas stations but no hand sanitizers. We didn’t even have a mask…
Nothing that will ever be normal again. Today, we grow weary with the full-time search of looking for a line to get in. There is growing unrest. Uncertainty. Normal? Doesn’t exist. Maybe? Only if you are vaccinated. Or, so they say. Then we can return to normal. Right?
No One Knows. I don’t. It feels like the harbinger of more bad news is simply waiting over the horizon of a new day. We are about to get trounced. Again. Something worse is yet to come. What is it? You get to guess, but we never thought we would see 2020 happen, much less 2021 be a year watching a “repeat performance.”
A Song Comes To Mind
What do you do when the stressors of life overwhelm your life? I have a secret place I go, and so do you. We probably all do. When things seem tough, we look for something familiar that speaks to our situation: a favored book, inspirational reading, poetry, or even a walk down memory lane.
Since I’m sharing this on Saturday, and since I’ve reserved this day as a “Saturday Song” thought, I’m sharing a song that has become a favorite. The artist, yes, is someone I can relate to. His style, guitar, harmonica, and voice speak to my heart, but it’s the words he sings in this song that really puts life into perspective. I first heard Buddy Greene sing it on a Gaither Special. He’s become one of my favorite voices of all the crooners.
It’s called “Sojourner’s Song,” written by Gloria Gaither and put to music by Buddy Greene. All the way back in 1989… nearly a quarter of a century ago! The only person I hear singing it, no matter who the voice or persona might be, is Buddy Greene. [Link]
Sojourner’s Song
It’s not home
Where men sell their souls
And the taste of power is sweet
Where wrong is right
And neighbors fight
While the hungry are dyin’ in the streets
Where kids are abused
And women are used
And the weak are crushed by the strong
Nations gone mad
Jesus is sad
And I don’t belong
Chorus:
I don’t belong
And I’m going someday
Home to my own native land
I don’t belong
And it seems like I hear
The sound of a “welcome home” band
I don’t belong
I’m a foreigner here
Singing a sojourner’s song
I’ve always known
This place ain’t home
And I don’t belong
Don’t belong
But while I’m here
I’ll be living like I’ve nothin’ to lose
And while I breathe
I’ll just believe
My Lord is gonna see me through
I’ll not be deceived
By earth’s make-believe
I’ll close my ears to her siren song
By praisin’ His name, I’m not ashamed
‘Cause I don’t belong
Repeat Chorus
I belong
To a kingdom of peace
Where only love is the law
Where children lead
And captives are freed
And God becomes a baby on the straw
Where dead men live
And rich men give
Their kingdoms to buy back a song
Where sinners like me
Become royalty
And we’ll all belong
Yes I belong
And I’m going someday
Home to my own native land
Where I’ll belong
And it seems like I hear
The sound of a “welcome home” band
Yes, I’ll belong
No foreigner there
Singin’ a sojourner’s song
I’ve always known
I’m going home
Where I belong
I’ve always known
This place ain’t home
And I don’t belong
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