“…Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.
“And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
--John Donne

We Will Endure

The New Year begins, its pages are blank.
The old one is done, but our spirits it sank.
So many have died while all alone.
So many have cried alone in their home.

You saw their faces in the newspaper and on television broadcasts. They were young, old, white, black, brown and Asian – the faces of those who have died in the U.S. in the Covid-19 pandemic. It is like looking into a mirror of our country’s populace, a beautiful people that made our nation strong.

They are dying in numbers so hard to comprehend. One death every 30 seconds, 348,000 total to date in less than a year -- six times the death toll of America’s military men and women during the entire Vietnam War, and projected to reach 500,000 by March.

Family members weeping at their loss and being unable to be with their loved ones as they lay dying because of the pandemic restrictions. Doctors and nurses weeping, overwhelmed with emotion at being the last living person seen by hundreds of dying patients.

A California woman tells of losing both her parents to Covid-19 at the same time. She cried, but also thanked God that they were together rather than alone. A short video showed the elderly couple smiling and holding hands.

The pandemic shut down or severely limited business, causing many millions of people to lose their jobs and their income. Schools were closed. Families found themselves facing eviction from their homes and having to stand in horrendously long lines to get groceries from food banks. Then, in the shortest time in history, scientists developed and tested vaccines highly effective against Covid-19 and they are being distributed and used nationwide, giving us Hope for the New Year.

The past year also saw the Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by rage at the needless deaths of black and brown minorities at the hands of police. The protests lasted for months and, while destructive and sometimes violent, caused a needed awakening for all of us to the depth and extent of racial bias that still exists in our nation despite its promises of equality for all.

In an Austin protest, a young woman demonstrator spoke with an Austin Police Officer, and invited him to “Come and walk with me” so that she could learn how it felt to walk in the protest as him and he could learn what it felt like to be in her shoes. He did and as they walked together, each came to a greater understanding of both sides of the conflict. This moment was captured in news videos of the protest and subsequent interviews of the woman and the officer and inspired “Walk With Me,” “A Song of Hope” created by Austin musicians.

This is a deeply troubled moment in our country’s history. Yet all is not bleak. We have each other and we have God’s beautiful gifts. I have found solace every day by enjoying the beautiful sunrise on my morning walk, then going outside to watch the beautiful sunsets and the V-formations of ducks and geese flying home for the night and, often, a beautiful moon during the night.

Take a deep breath. Think of our nation’s history and the diversity of its people. Let the love in your heart and your prayers flow out to others. We cannot hold hands during the pandemic, but we can lift our spirits with our love. Let us fill the blank pages of this New Year with Love, Compassion and Hope. Together, we are beautiful and strong.

Of only one thing can we be sure.
Reach out with Love together
And we will endure.
We will endure.

--Bill Collier