OSV Response to Covid 19 Pandemic
In the past year, the world has changed from one of close personal contact and free hugs,
to one of complete social distancing. We used to get together in groups and share our hearts
with one another. Now we must choose our words carefully to be heart-centered in the world
of chat rooms and social media, becoming instead, pictures on a media platform in order to talk
together in human form. Many of these changes havent totally been processed by all of us,
since this has happened so fast. Most of us are using our skills of being present to this moment
and taking this crisis one present moment at a time. This eliminates future thinking and puts us
into a different thought paradigm -one that is good to experience, because it is in this presence
that God exists. We functioned from a different place in the past, always planning - and
presence was a luxury we thought of only when there was space to think of it. Now it is a
necessity for sanity.
We now live in different times, and different times require new ways of doing things and new
priorities. Some are deployed on the front lines of this fight, while wishing to protect our
families. Others have lost their jobs and wonder how they are going to make ends meet. We
have been told that we cannot worship in our houses of worship together, so we must worship
in front of a TV or a computer and imagine our communities around us. We as social beings,
have had our loving expression taken from us, and are left with only loving words and loving
deeds.
All things that we used to do in our spare time, make all the difference to us now. Our words
online to one another, our phone calls and our heartfelt feelings. Many of us have more space
to do what we never had time for before. Some of these things are beautiful gifts. And one of
the greatest gifts especially for those who are familiar with OSV, is the time and space to see
the contrast between God's world and man's world outside our windows each morning. We
awaken with a beautiful sunrise where God shows us His beauty and love. The buds on the
trees are forming and readying for blossoms in the days to come. We can now observe this. The
birds still sing their songs and the mountains still rise through the clouds - teaching us about our
own courage through the storms.
Jesus spoke of being in this world but not of it. This is our opportunity to do so. Are we to get
caught up in the fears our minds create to keep us from faith? Or are we moving forward
through our faith to surrender to this situation that was not created by us and out of our
control? Only God can see us through and so our conversations with God each morning are
even more necessary to give us solace and peace through such chaos and turmoil. They are so
very important.
One Simple Voice realizes that our retreats are most needed in times like these. We are
creating a new online format to share retreats online with our community and those who are
wishing to become part of the movement of hearing God's voice. Hearing God through times
like these centers us and gives us great peace. We are bringing our groups online so we are able
to meet in this media format until the storm of Covid passes and we can then commune again
together as groups.
On Sundays and on Thursdays we will hold town halls where one can call in with questions to
our conference line and we will answer them. These questions can range from subjects
regarding your journey with God, to how to feel God's presence through this crisis. We wish to
be available to you in your times of need to remind you of your journey and redirect you to
God's voice.
Please be patient with us as we work on changing our format. Our 2020 series will only be
disturbed in May as we will not be presenting the Surrender Retreat. However, we will move
this retreat to later in the fall in December. Our June retreat will be presented online with our
new format. Registration details for this retreat will be posted in the weeks to come.
Continue to journey with us through his storm. As all storms we have experienced through
watching the skies, there is a buildup of clouds, the storm itself, and the time of reorganization
and cleaning up afterward. The storm is not all we have to deal with, it is how to go back to our
lives knowing storms like these will exist. From here, God leads us to new growth, a time for
new buds of creativity and the gifts of the blossoms. We will be here with you through all of
this, as we journey through this storm together, in God.
OSV is wishing for you peace in Him, and wellness through the storm.
In His great peace and love,
Frannie Rose