Today, I\u2019ve never felt more alone. But at the same time, I\u2019ve never felt more connected to others \u2013 like I\u2019m part of a very large and incredibly kind community that\u2019s come to feel more like a family. How can I feel both at the same time?<\/p>\n
Let me explain.<\/p>\n
Our first child was due to be born on March 20th. We\u2019re not from around here, so our family had all planned to take turns visiting. But as the due date grew closer, news about the corona virus and social restrictions grew scarier.<\/p>\n
Then we found out our hospital wasn\u2019t going to allow any visitors. No friends, no family, just me. Our recovery room faced the hospital\u2019s front doors, where there were rows of caution signs and one or two armed guards stationed at all times. The staff hurried us out of the hospital, and when we drove home Saturday evening, the streets were deserted.<\/p>\n
The world never looked lonelier.<\/p>\n
But then something incredible happened. Over the next several days, my wife and I were flooded with well-wishes on social media. That was expected. But what we didn\u2019t expect were the packages that started showing up at our door. Diapers and dinners, bottles and baby wipes, gift cards and groceries \u2013 some from our family and friends, but many more from people we didn\u2019t know that well. Each of them was doing what they could to embrace our little family and to encourage this symbol of hope we were holding in our socially distant arms.<\/p>\n
In the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there\u2019s an emphasis on the importance of families. But this idea of \u201cfamily\u201d extends well beyond a single home. Latter-day Saints believe each of us are children of heavenly parents \u2013 in other words, we\u2019re all part of a single, sacred family, and it\u2019s our responsibility to create a similar sense of community wherever we are. Yes, this means creating a sense of family in our own homes and church congregations, but to mean anything, it must also stretch to include our neighborhoods, cities, and the world at large.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how one such community is described in Latter-day Saint scripture: \u201cThe Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them\u201d (Moses 7:18).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something moving to me about this image of a group of people\u2014all of whom are struggling, but who are so sensitive to the needs of those around them that they see each other\u2019s needs and sprint to meet them. It\u2019s a social network that cares so much about one another that they practically share a single heart.<\/p>\n
My wife and I definitely felt\u2014and continue to feel\u2014this kind of care from so many people across the globe. And it\u2019s done something to me. It\u2019s made me want to be more sensitive to the needs of the people I know. It\u2019s changed the way I scroll through social media, the way I email, the way I FaceTime. I want to do something, however small, to help others feel like they\u2019re not alone. Like they\u2019re irreplaceable.<\/p>\n
Like they\u2019re part of a family.<\/p>\n
The good news is, every one of us can nurture a feeling of family, even in isolation.<\/p>\n
And so, if you\u2019re feeling lonely today, that\u2019s okay. Pretty much everyone feels that way right now. But you can say, type, or do something right now that will make you and whoever you\u2019re interacting with feel connected and cared for.<\/p>\n
When you boil it down, the answer seems simple: Never ignore a feeling to act kindly toward someone you know\u2014no matter how well you know them or what that feeling of goodness urges you to do.<\/p>\n
Through my own experience, I\u2019ve learned that, even though we\u2019re all living in isolation, each of us can do something right now to create a sense of belonging. Through small words and specific acts of kindness every day, we can make something that feels a lot less like a community, and a lot more like a family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Jacob Rennaker, John A. Widtsoe Fellow with the Fish Interfaith Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2092,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"custom_author_name":"Jacob Rennaker","chapman_pin_hero_slider":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaplain-musings"],"yoast_head":"\n