Lockdown 18/28 – Life and Death

Day 18 of my diary of a LOTR Fan Museum owner during our 4 week national lockdown - in NZ we’re uniting as a country to beat Covid-19 to break the chain and save lives, but …

Today in my new job of STAY HOME, be kind, I’m confronting the fact of so many deaths from this virus at a time when the Christian calendar celebrates life and rebirth on Easter Sunday.

I’ve just watched my church’s Easter service via live stream and there was some comfort there, especially in the familiar hymns and a sense of community with our shared belief.

But I’m still feeling challenged to the core about all the death. Over 1,00,000 dead and the virus is still raging. And, I’m reading stories about the loneliness of the deaths - people unable to be with loved ones when dying due to the risk. And, loved ones bereft because of this isolation both at their person’s deathbed and their farewell. My heart is breaking for you, the families of the 4 lost in NZ, and the so many around the world.

I turn to JRR … or, actually, the movie version in ROTK … where Gandalf comforts Pippin when they are staring down death in the siege of Minas Tirith: “End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.”

This does of course reflect a fairly standard Christian view of radiant life after death, which is at the heart of the importance of Easter Sunday. And, I’ll admit, faith is some comfort, but not as much as I expected. Perhaps the real comfort is in the intimacy of the moment.

I’m about to eat a chocolate egg (and thanks for a friend’s lovely FB egg pics too; I hope you don’t mind me using one) and I’m settling into another day of lockdown. But my heart remains heavy on what should be such a joyous celebration. I think the most comforting things are the steps we’re all taking here to prevent this virus killing more people, and such steps taken worldwide. And, I’m comforted that there seem to be some “flattenings”, even in New York. I’m also finding a lot of comfort in connecting with other people - my friends in Paris, Melbourne, Horowhenua and Nelson, my daughter in China, family and close friends here, and (perhaps embarassingly) connecting with people in the four corners of our world through the lovely photos on FB from the group “View from my window”.

I’m really mindful of the cost to the economy of the lockdown and the need for the conversation about how we come out of it. But the cost of getting it wrong will be wretched, so I just hope we get this right folks. I’m going to try now to focus on life. I wish you all the comfort and hope of your faith or whatever helps you in the face of all this death. Best wishes, Kathy xx