Day #348 Writing Through COVID-19: Communion and Monopoly

This morning as I logged my dad onto Zoom for his Sunday School class, he said, "Did you remember today is Ade's birthday?"

"Yes!" I said. What I didn't say was I was surprised he had remembered too.

Happy Birthday, dear Adrienne!

I'm still distancing as much as possible, so Dan went to church alone again this morning. He said it was "full," meaning that most of the un-blocked-off rows had at least someone in them. The service is now a full 15 minutes shorter than pre-COVID. A drop-box has replaced the passing of the offering plates, and communion is now a simultaneous opening of individual wafer-and-wine packets. Both of these adaptations save time!

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This evening my kids and I played Monopoly on a phone app. Harrison's girlfriend Maria introduced us to the digital version of the game. We open a Zoom room while playing, so our chatter and facial expressions complete the money-grubbing tight-fisted capitalistic-greed experience. Those of us striving to drive our opponents into bankruptcy tonight hailed from Florida, Des Moines, Atlantic, Denver, and Salt Lake City, yet it felt like we were all wheedling and conniving in the same room!
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As we ease out of COVID's grip over the coming months, I wonder which aspects of our pandemic-inspired adaptions we'll retain. 

The ritualistic aspects of a church service, such as the repeated murmur of communion (Body of Christ, broken for you; Blood of Christ shed for you) had a hypnotizing, calming rhythm that I doubt will be permanently replaced by the quick crinkle of COVID Lunchable-style communion packets. 

But Monopoly across time zones? That's a keeper.

Enough.
Be well.
Write.

Allison