We took a little road trip this past weekend to eastern Minnesota to see our oldest son, Mark, and his family. He is a pastor, and their congregation was reopening for the first time since March to worship together. For the summer they are gathering in a large barn, just a mile from their home in Lewiston, MN. They usually meet in a community center in Stockton, MN, but because that is not available for them yet, they found another way. It intrigued me to see how it would all work, and it was time to see our seven granddaughters who are part of that family anyway!
We started our journey a little later than planned because our little herd of stock cattle decided to break through the fence the night before. Fixing fences then became the priority before we could think about leaving. By the time we arrived at the Blue Earth exit, we were hungry. As we pulled into a fast food restaurant parking lot, we noticed the sign said we could drive thru or come in and order. We decided to do the latter, so we could also take advantage of the bathrooms.
It was pretty quiet inside the building, as no one can eat inside yet. Ordering was simple, and as I approached the bathroom door it stated that only one person could be inside at a time. I put my ear to the door to see if I heard anything. The hand dryer was roaring, so that was a helpful hint. A lady came out, smiled, and I went in. The first thing I saw was a large sign that said I needed to “social distance” in the restroom. Huh? From whom?
After we gathered our food and drink, we headed outside to one of the two picnic tables alongside the building. We had just spread out the napkins, when a young lady came out the side door and said we could not eat there. We were perplexed because we had just sat at this same table three weeks before while traveling east for some business. When we asked about that, she said she was sorry, but now we couldn’t. Now we understood why there were people with families sitting all along the curbs and even on a construction rock pile in the parking lot!
Once more, with our little white sacks in hand and our drinks, we returned to the car. I had seen several people on picnic tables across the way when we entered the city. We made our way through the round-about and across the highway to the Jolly Green Giant Museum and park area. A food truck sat in the small parking lot, busily treating customers who were purchasing several kinds of delicious smelling meat dishes that were for sale. There were a half dozen tables scattered on the grassy knoll, and a few benches tucked in near the museum building itself. Most were holding couples or families with children enjoying a warm spring day lunch. Other cars and pickups were getting lunch to go.
As we parked, one couple vacated their table. We headed in that direction, and finally enjoyed our simple fare in the sunshine and cool breeze. We enjoyed seeing so many out and about, especially three little children near us with what appeared to be their grandma. They were trying to eat ice cream cones while at the same time, grabbing for a small frog jumping in the grass. Finally, the older woman took the cone from the smallest boy so he could focus on the task at hand! They were delighted with the wonderful day, and enjoyed what nature was providing for fun.
While we were eating, all of a sudden my husband began laughing. When I questioned what was so funny, he gestured behind me. I turned around to see a huge statue of the Jolly Green Giant, wearing a bright purple mask spread across his face! Since this sculpture is about forty feet high, we wondered how they got it up there in the first place, and how it stays intact with the Minnesota weather and wind. We are thinking it must have been a bed sheet, or something that size to work as a mask on that large figure. The humor found in these uncertain times brings some relief from the frustrations.
Our weekend proved to be a delightful change in scenery, and of course there is no lack of things to see and hear about when getting time with seven sisters who all live in one household. Their ages range from six to nineteen, so there is no end to what we get to hear about as we take time to listen to what is happening in their lives. Dan and I both enjoyed our mealtimes with them, plus hearing the youngest read to us, playing Kahoot with several of them, and spending time outside seeing the puppies that are growing so fast. Their family has two Labrador retrievers, one chocolate and one black. The father to the puppies is a Mastiff breed, so they will be pretty large dogs when grown. They will most likely be ready for sale by July, but until then it keeps several members of the family busy with feeding, watering, and making sure they have exercise and sunshine.
Our Sunday worship service in the barn was a joy. It was great to be in fellowship with about 85 others, singing and sharing together. They had rigged up the sound system to be heard inside and out, so those who wished, could worship in their cars. We had plenty of room to be seated in family units, but it seemed that everyone was eager to stick around afterwards to visit. Their church has several young people, and a couple dozen of them enjoyed a rousing game of Red Rover outside when church was done! One little six year old girl absolutely understood the idea of the game. She locked her arms tight and NO ONE got through on her watch! There was much laughter, and it was music for my soul.
We all have our opinions, and mine is that it is time to re-open. Responsibly. It is not only critical for pocketbooks, but also for our mental health. The original purpose of the shutdown, to my knowledge, was to flatten the curve, so as not to overwhelm the health care system. It seems that it was needed and a helpful thing in the center of the Coronavirus hotspots.
However, to continue to keep moving the “goalposts”, and dragging this out, feels wrong to me. The longer this shutdown lasts, the more it seems to become a matter of lives versus lives. We will always have risk in living, and I believe it is time to let people live their lives. We are intelligent beings, and we can make our own choices as to what we want to take part in and where we want to go. We certainly don’t need to judge each other about our choices as we get back to living.
