TODAY IS SATURDAY

THE DAY IN BETWEEN. This is what we do on the in-between days, between the beginning and the end, between the start and finish, in the uncertainty between what we know from experience and what we hope will be. One time; in-between was 40 years in the wilderness between bondage as slaves and the Promised Land. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could send 12 spies down the road of the coronavirus to bring a report back; what’s it like on the other side? Of course, there are tons of speculators now, people who think they can see there, from deniers to doomsdayers. I’m firmly in-between.

Today is Saturday. It’s a day of complete uncertainty, probably some chaos, some despair, short tempers, panicked discussions. That may be somewhat true of this Saturday, April 11, 2020, too. But I’m talking about that Saturday, centuries ago, the actual day between the crucifixation and the resurrection. Sure, now that we know how things turned out we can take a pretty relaxed view of the Saturday in-between. But on that first one—who knew? Now that we know, we can spend today (with a few twists and some ad-libbing) doing normal Easter weekend stuff: dying Easter eggs, making sure we have some stuff to fill Easter baskets…

Many many years ago I was a huge Miami Dolphins football fan. One of the times they would be playing in the Super Bowl, I prepared the VCR to record the game. We were having a Super Bowl party at our house after church activities. Early in the game, the Dolphins were struggling, mightily. I panicked; not that I had a big bet at stake, but my certainty that the Dolphins would prevail was on the line. I snuck back to the bedroom and tuned in to a radio broadcast of the game. They lost! I mourned quietly and returned to the living room with the arrogance of certain knowledge. I KNOW HOW THIS ONE TURNS OUT! I’m not in-between anymore. I know how it started. I know how it ends.

Remember two of those 12 spies came back and reported that moving in to the promised land was achievable and worth it all. The ten naysayers prevailed and the in-between lasted four decades. If you have heard yourself saying over the past few weeks, “For now…” then you are in-between. That’s where we are; not for the next 40 years, but for now.

So, for now… Here are words from Jane Kenyon.

OTHERWISE
Jane Kenyon - 1947-1995

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.
At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

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