Grace and Peace to you from God, our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. And from me, “Hey Ya’ll! How are you doing?” Can you believe it? It’s 2022...Where has all the time, the months, the years zipped to? I remember the end of 2019 making plans to travel in 2020 and changing plans twice to accommodate what became an international pandemic.

And here we are 2 years later, vaccine ready, without a safe place to go to, without a stress-free method of getting there, unless you do all the driving or piloting. Adding to the wild side of covid stress, travel these days is accompanied by possible exposure to irrational, angry, ready to fight not to mention the vocally loud and rude, possibly intoxicated mostly irrational and discombobulated traveler who has finally made it onboard after other train boat or plane departures were canceled. The joy of the season was crowded out by the anxiety of sickness death and rude crowds.

As you begin to look with hope at 2022, I want to encourage you to add emotional and spiritual health goals. This will help you to cope with other people. This pandemic has released fear into the world. Fear causes cortisol to be released in the body resulting in fight or flight responses. There are mental, physical, emotional and psychological human responses to fear. Many people respond in anger to fear or when feeling powerless.  I encourage you to spend time just sitting with God. It’s no big deal...Just declare your intention to “have a little talk with Jesus” and chill. When your brain floats away from your intention just remind yourself what your goal is. Take a deep breath and remind yourself of your own desire to spend time your friend, Jesus.

Remember that you are the son or daughter of the Most High God, who is always lovingly preparing in advance those people places and things that are just right for you. Your being, created in the image of God, requires those things that are coming your way are for your transformation in process. Some things may be unwanted or unwelcomed when they show up, however the finished product will reveal both the grace and the glory of God in you.

When you look back over these years, down the line, you will see in retrospect your own journey of grace and glory. When you look back you will see your covid TESTimony. Happy 2022.



Pr. Orinda