"Have you had your vaccine yet?" is on almost everyones' lips these days.
I was standing at the back of church with my family, and a woman approached and joined the circle. She let me know she had been vaccinated and asked if I had. Because she turned to talk only to me, we were no longer in the circle. I informed her that I had not been vaccinated, upon which she turned her back to me, closing the circle with my family and left me standing on the outside of it.
Vaccine shaming is now a fad.
There was a very long opinion piece in the newspaper last weekend with the writer proclaiming that it was his right to know if others are vaccinated or not. Really? His RIGHT? Does he also have the right to know my marital status, how many children I have, where I go to church and what kind of car I drive? How about if I have a mental illness or AIDS, or for whom I voted?
In the Old Testament it was declared that those with Leprosy "cover his upper lip and cry 'unclean, unclean'". (Leviticus 13)
Today, our upper lip, and indeed half of our face, is covered up. If we have Covid or have merely been near someone with Covid we have to quarantine; our version of yelling "unclean, unclean".
My tenacious one is going to be in a school play soon. Because of the 10 day quarantine mandate in case of exposure, she is terrified (not an exaggeration) of being near anyone who might have, maybe been exposed because then she would likely miss, if not most of the tech week rehearsals, but perhaps the play itself. This is the play they were supposed to perform last year, the week they shut down the school. She has been looking forward to it for a year. To have to miss because of a possibility of exposure seems quite drastic.
I used love to walk in our beautiful neighborhood and greet others along the sidewalk. It is much less pleasant these days when other walkers go out of their way to avoid you.
Being in church and not being able to see others' smiles and give a sign of peace feels like being in a sea of strangers rather than fellow Christians who love each other. I am grateful the Holy Water is back! One step at a time, I guess.
I look forward to a time when conversation does not revolve around Covid or the "vaccine" (a topic for another blog perhaps).
Until then, I will refuse to wear a mask outside. If I feel sick, I will stay home and I will be cautious around others so they feel cared for.
Prayers for all who have lost loved ones to Covid and prayers that soon quarantining will be a thing in our past so that no one has to feel like a leper anymore.
