Fundraiser News & Staying Connected

When I signed up to write the May 2020 newsletter article, I had planned to use the opportunity to promote the SBCSL annual dinner, dance and auction fundraiser. You see, when the SBCSL fundraising committee met last Fall, we put together our working plans for the 2020 fundraiser. We had planned to hold the annual fundraiser the evening of Saturday, June 6, 2020. I reserved the community center, we drafted promotional materials like posters and flyers. We planned to kick-off the event with Sunday promos starting in April 2020. We had no way of knowing that the plans that we had made in the Fall of 2019 would need to change so dramatically.

Please know that we will still have a SBCSL fundraiser later this year but it will have a much different look and feel. The fundraising committee will be providing more information at a later time. So, stay tuned for more in the coming months.

Now that I have shared that bit of news with you all, I would like to focus on something else. I would like to reflect a bit on the truly unique and paradoxical experiences that have unfolded from the pandemic lockdown. Here are a few things that I think I will remember most about this experience:

The lockdown created a forced global isolation where everyone was required to separate from others. However, the fact that everyone was held to this same requirement, generated a powerful realization of our overall oneness with each other. In some ways, I think I will remember this pandemic as a period of global togetherness.

In some ways, the time away from our usual routines felt like a forced punishment, like being put on “time out”. However, the fact that we really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter also provided an opportunity to just “go with the flow”. As the days unfolded, it became easier for me to release my desire to resist and to acknowledge the privilege of a slower pace.

The pandemic caused many people to feel panicked and the need to hoard basic supplies. I remember going to the grocery store at the start of the lockdown and feeling frightened by the frantic vibe of palpable fear. However, once the initial panic softened, I noticed folks enjoying the opportunity to stop and really treasure life’s simple pleasures and to appreciate the people most dear to us.

I have known for quite awhile that our spiritual center is truly special but, in a way, this period of separation from everyone has made me feel even more connected to you all, to my spiritual family.

Thank you for being part of SBCSL. I know more than ever the important role our spiritual community plays in each of our lives.

Love,
Janice