(Inspired by the Mother of Alternative Blessings, Nadia Bolz-Weber, who was inspired by a Jesus who offered extravagant blessings to those who wouldn’t otherwise have received blessings.)
We imagine Jesus, in our midst, offering beatitudes for this time:
Blessed are you when you have been affected by COVID-19.
Blessed are the people of Wuhan.
Blessed are the people of Italy, singing across the alleys and into empty streets, reminding us around the world of Hope and community.
Blessed are the frontline workers
Blessed are the doctors and healers and health care practitioners.
Blessed are the childcare workers and the parents who drop off their kids to go care for others.
Blessed are the immuno-suppressed, immuno-compromised and the immuno-vulnerable and blessed are those caring for them.
Blessed are the mothers of two-, three- and four-year-olds at home and blessed are the mothers of teenagers who can’t do what they want to do when they want to do it.
Blessed are the toddlers who don’t understand the fear in their parents’ eyes or the frustration in their voices.
And blessed are the teenagers at home.
Blessed are the dads who don’t know what the future holds.
Blessed are the introverts.
And blessed are the extroverts.
Blessed are those in self-quarantine and blessed are those in self-isolation.
Blessed are those who had to cancel their travel plans and blessed are those who came home early.
Blessed are the international students and blessed are those struggling to find a way home.
Blessed are those who have been laid off.
Blessed are Chinese restaurant owners around the world and blessed are bar, pub and restaurant owners in our neighborhoods..
Blessed are the bar tenders and the servers and the line cooks and the chefs and the dishwashers and the cleaning staff.
Blessed are airline workers.
Blessed are the teachers and blessed are the librarians in every city.
Blessed are those who put together the delivery orders at the grocery store.
Blessed are the entrepreneurs.
Blessed are the scientists.
Blessed are the creatives who bring us music and poems and words to inspire us with hope.
Blessed are the good neighbors.
Blessed are the elderly and the shut-ins and blessed is everyone who lives in a Seniors Home.
Blessed are the workers in the Seniors Homes and blessed are everybody who stays two metres away.
Blessed are grocery store clerks and baristas and the ones who stock toilet paper.
And blessed are their mothers.
Blessed are the ones who are afraid.
Blessed are the ones who struggle with anxiety and blessed are the ones who show us what life looks like every day for them and yet show up.
Blessed are the comedians and the meme makers who help us laugh.
Blessed are the members of whatsapp groups and Facebook groups who keep us connected and blessed are every worker at Zoom.
Blessed are the creators of technology and blessed are the ones who make virtual community possible right now.
Blessed are the ones who self-isolate and keep their distance for the safety of others
And blessed are the neighborly and always the helpers.
Blessed are we when we are the helpers and blessed are we when we look for a helper.
Blessed are the ones who choose Love and hope and mercy.
Blessed are the scared and the anxious.
Blessed are the kind and the generous.
Blessed are we when we remember just how intimately connected we are to each other.
If you only know one thing about me, I’d love for you to know this: I love Jesus, justice and living juicy.
I also happen to drive a minivan and drink my lattes plain. (My life is exciting enough!)
Nineteen years ago, I moved from Taiwan to Canada to marry Scott. We have two teenagers, a preteen, a Bernese Mountain dog and a restaurant. (Ask Scott to tell you our love story.)
In 2010, I founded SheLovesmagazine.com and it has now grown to include a Dangerous Women membership community, a Red Couch Bookclub, events and gatherings. I’d like to think of it as curating transformational spaces for women in community. I long for women to be strong in our faith and voice, so we can be advocates for God’s heart for justice here on earth.
As an Afrikaner woman, born and raised in South Africa during Apartheid, my story humbly compels me to step out for justice and everyday peacemaking. I have also seen firsthand the impact injustice has had on the lives and stories of women around the world. I refuse to stay silent.
I am anti-racist and also a recovering racist. I am a Seven on the Enneagram, an INFP and I mostly wear black, with a dash of animal print or faux fur.
