Not out of the woods!

 Hello out there!  This is me, shouting out from Sunny Florida. Although sunny, the scourge Covid/Coronavirus/Pandemic has not left our shores.  The atmosphere in Florida is that vaccine is ridiculous and it's all a hoax.  Children don't need to wear masks in school and who cares that the hospital ICU's are at full capacity with non-vaccinated patients on ventilators.

Again, again.  I do believe that the political atmosphere down in Florida and some of the southern states (including Texas) have talked people to keep their heads in the sand over Covid.  And, people, your head in the sand may prevent you from getting sick, but you'll suffocate and die.  Not to get on a soapbox, which I've been hesitant to do since I don't want to piss off too many of my neighbors, but really........  New York isn't too much better with the percent of cases going from 1% to 4% recently.  There's a stronger variant afoot which takes no prisoners.  It's getting the vaccinated also.  So, for now, I'm masking, washing hands, staying out of the fray of restaurants and meetings where those buggers may hide.

Contradicting myself, I went to run a retreat in Michigan a few weeks ago.  I felt ok on the planes, with everyone masked and was given a little package of wipes by the flight attendants when I walked onto the plane.  The retreat was on the shore of Lake Huron and there were 58 women hungry to hear even a morsel of hope, spirituality, recovery, light, joy or something other than they've heard for the last 18 months being cooped up in their towns. It was a fun group who have been meeting in the same place since 2006.  I felt so honored to lead them.  I think they got a lot out of the music I played, and the little anecdotes I told them of my own ESH.  I know I made some wonderful friends who I hope to see again.

I've committed to doing a workshop here in Florida in November.  I hope it makes it with the threat of more icky germs spewing their harm here and there.  In any event, please stay safe, dear friends.  You're important to me.

Pandemic Post

So, we're into this whole Pandemic thing over 50 days.  Not even sure when it began-from my estimation, it was around St. Patrick's day 2020(March 17).

"Sheltering in Place" "Covid-19" "N-9 Masks" "Social Distancing" "Task Force" "Six feet apart"
Those are some of the may catch phrases that have come out of this insane virus that has killed over 60,000 Americans - or more - to date.  New York and the New Jersey area has been slammed.  Poor folks in nursing homes are devastated, meat packing plants all over the country, densely-inhabited pockets of Florida have been hit.  We're all in this mess together.  In the New York suburb where I come from, the neighboring town of Brentwood has had the highest number of Covid-related cases.  Why?  The folks are poor-have to work in horrible situations to feed their families and have many immigrants who are "forced" to go to work at their jobs.  How have these folks fared?  They have gone to work, caught the virus on their way to or from home, or from a co-worker and brought it home to their family.  Many hospital workers have had to send their families away so they don't infect them when they're done with their shifts.  The front line folks have risked their lives and the lives of those who they love for the sick.  It's a horror.

I'm praying daily for this to stop.  Test Test Test, find a way to immunize all the millions of people in the US?  This may take months.  Will we have the stamina to wait it out?  I feel that we're a large group who don't really know what hardship really is.  We don't remember the Depression.  We've forgotten about the Viet Nam War when so many were lost.  We are so spoiled that we can't wait to break out and go out  to a place to eat, rather than follow our conscience and wait just a few more weeks.

We're not saints.  We've been out and about,  going to the grocery store and playing golf down here in Florida.  I play scared.  I'm not comfortable with the situation.  The beaches just opened and they are packed!!!!  I'm not going near them in the heat of the day.  I'm reading, reaching out to people, zooming and doing too much eating!  

If you're reading this in the future, remember what the world was going through in 2020.  Be careful.

Shut In!!

A virus has hit the world that has no vaccine.  It started in China from a non-human source so the we humans have no recourse but to see it run through.  People are dying by the hour in Italy and China.  The US, through our President(who shall remain nameless) decided years go that we should return to Nationalism.  Ergo, they are not accepting test kits from countries outside of our borders.  We were warned about this oncoming virus months ago.  But the Washington smarties closed their minds and eyes to the oncoming wave and called it "fake news'.  So now we're behind the times and trying to catch up--while our citizens die.

That's my take on it.  I am pretty hopeful, however.  The times they are a changing'. We've been waiting for something to shake up the "ties" in DC.  The house and senate can't play together.  So, our Source came in and decided to mess things up for us.  There's fallout, of course.  We are paying for the time lapse.  Let's have some faith in our manufacturing industry that tests, masks, hand sanitizers ad the materials the health care industry need to take care of this who are sick from this creepy crawly virus.

I'm hanging out in my wonderful Florida condo.  Enjoying the sunshine.  I am lucky to be here during the virus of 2020.  Reading, watching movies, walking outside, riding my bike, cooking soup, loving meetings and connections online.  Shopping!!  or trying not to shop.  Loving the connections with my neighbors in our condo complex and helping each other.  Taking this day by day.  Remembering to breathe and pray many times daily.

Thanking God that my health is good and the health of my husband and family members is good, too.  Sending out white healing light and love to all of you in bogland.

No "Organ Recital" for me

These past winters spent in Florida have been wonderful, exhilarating and eye opening, for sure.  I've heard  "y'all" come out of my Yankee mouth once or twice.  There's a strange hankering for grits.  I understand why the Southern folks don't understand me-I have to slow down the wordslinkingtogether when I talk.  Maybe someday I'll be welcomed as just myself-not as a "Northerner."

I know it takes time to acclimate to a new situation.  We've been part of this area for almost 20 years! But that was as a tourist, visiting with Dad here and there, renting for a month or two at a time. I'm frustrated that I don't have my life long friends along for me to  say:  "Did you see how funny that was?" We'll always be Snow Birds as New York is my birth home but definitely enjoying this time of my life here in a warm climate.

When out to dinner with the movie group which we started going to when Dad was alive, we are the youngest by 20 years or so, save one woman my age.  When Dad was here, he would take exception to the litany of "The Organ Recital."  As each came and sat, each one would recite which organ they had trouble with that week. So often, it was just venting.  Sometimes, it was serious.  The doctors offices down here are teeming with Medicare recipients-and we have fine docs here, I have to say as a lifelong New Yorker who tends to be slightly biased.

Dad would always avoid the organ recital.  He was not one to call attention to himself.  When my mom was alive, she probably wouldn't give him the time to allow this anyway.  Headaches-not allowed!  Back pain-nix!  Occasionally he would say he had a bad tummy.  He had colitis as a kid and that was exasperated when he spent a year in a German concentration camp during World War II.

The sun, the weather and all the time outdoors have been a boon to my health and well being.  I am sitting here in my beautiful home looking out at swaying palms and a sweet little lagoon.  All organs are intact, thank God.  We are free from Coronavirus.  We are exercising our bodies, minds and souls.  All is good.

New awakenings

We are back in Florida for our third winter as residents.  The sun, palm trees, green grass and beautiful colors are a great change from the northern winters.  I smile driving down the road and catching the osprey's huge nest, with two sitting in it protecting their eggs.

Florida is definitely a leap away from the reality of winter months I remember.  The folks who were born here or have been here for 30 years or more are tough on us "Northern" people.  Of course, we are all "Northern" people since it IS the southernmost state in the Union.  I used to resent the slurs:  "Oh, you're from Lawng Eiland."  Yes, "Ma'am",  I politely answer, leaving out "Bless Your Heart."
The sight of the confederate flag still can make me shiver.  I don't condone it waving alone, without our red, white and blue.  It's a direct hit on me, as a daughter of a World War II survivor and granddaughter of a WW I.  Puhleeze, don't tell me the South is still resenting the fact they lost to us "Northern" people.

I'm craving good theater.  I miss my busy New York City streets where I get my creative juices flowing.  We have tickets to see Tony Danza in our local arts center this week.  That may stave off my melancholy for a good show.  The art is amazing, though.  Ringling has a magnificent art center in Sarasota.  The Edison house is near us for education and we enjoy the lectures at the local libraries all around.

I've found time to volunteer again.  I worked for our company for many years and had to let that go in New York.  But I found a place that I can make a difference in someones life with Hospice.  I worked at their thrift shop all last year and wanted to get full in on the experience.  Since both my parents died while on Hospice's watch in NY, I knew it was wonderful.  Plus, for many years, I served on a board of a Long Island Hospice.  After Dad passed in 2018, enough time has gone by where I feel it wouldn't hurt seeing older people at the end of their lives.  Training was extensive, and I was off to see my first patient/client.  And, as God has such a great way of tweaking me on the head, he presented me with a beautiful woman who is in the same nursing home as my Dad was in 2018.

No coincidences, you say?

We trade the old for the new.  I may have given up my old haunts and the world I used to live but I find my senses being pulled elsewhere.  I am on the back nine of life, as the golfers say.  No denying that I don't have 40 more years.  Embracing the new.  Moving toward a different goal.  Enjoying all the different people here, with their "Northern" accents. Acceptance is the Answer!

A long, long slog

It's been a long time since I wrote for this blog.  Probably months.  My head and spirit has been filled with marketing my book, "Sitting in the Silence."  It has been daunting.  Even harder than writing the darn thing!  Oh sure, the book publisher will be so helpful with marketing--at a steep price.  So, after forking up a lot of green stuff and months of back and forth with strange voices somewhere out there in cyberland, I'm asked to fork over even more of my green stuff to have them market the baby.

My first royalty check (infusion, I mean) came in.  A huge $78.45.  Wow!  I am sure F. Scott Fitzgerald didn't do this writing just for the fun of it.  He had crazy Zelda to support, even though she was a great writer herself.  Maybe in his days they bartered for pages.  He'd call his publisher and ask for a case of scotch for 100 pages.  Then a table for 10-12 at a famous restaurant in Paris for the next 100 pages.  I could go for that(the restaurant in Paris, I mean).

My people have been fabulous, showing up for multiple book signings.  I begged my local library to have a signing there.  It was the place where I had my first library card.  Remember those little tan cards with a piece of metal attached with your own number on it?  It was my most valued possession.
The book signings are so much fun and I am so grateful for all who attend.

This move to a new state has brought up problems with book signings.  First, not that many people know me here.  Second, the book stores are hurting.  Third, they don't recognize self-published books.  So, this woman gets creative and I've joined a church that is open to my dribble/words of wisdom.  I'll have a workshop there and hawk my wares.  A girls got to do what a girls got to do.

So, dear blog readers.  I ask if you have purchased one of my wonderful works to please write a review - send it to me? and recommend the book to your nearest bookstore.  I'd really, really appreciate it.

Rev. Barbara Brownyard is interview by Rev. Richard Miner