Recalled To Life

 "Recalled to Life" was the name of the first section of Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, one of my favorite novels.  It had a double meaning. Dr. Manet had been imprisoned for eighteen years and was finally recalled to life, freed and sent home to his loving daughter Lucy. It also refers to the awakening to life for Sidney Carton through his love for Lucy and her family.

 This was my first day back to church in over a year. In a way, today was for me and a few others an awakening. We returned to Arizona on March 14, isolated for two weeks, and did not attend church at all during the nearly six months we lived in that lovely apartment by the Gilbert Temple.

After coming back to England on September 2, 2020, we once again spent two weeks in isolation.  SK attended church the following week, and then everything shut down.

There were about fifty people in the church, which is the limit. We knew quite a few of them and I would say that at least ten were young adults. It was Fast and Testimony Meeting, and it was awesome.  The testimonies were all inspiring, even though they were so very different from each other. We had four people who were visiting for the first time, at an invitation from the missionaries - exploring what this church is about.

After the meeting we all met out in the parking lot where we visited for about fifteen minutes.  People were so hungry to meet face to face.  We stood in the warm sunshine, everyone was smiling and eager to be together.  One young woman was giddy with excitement to be out of her room and into the companionship of friends. Finally goodbyes were said and a group of young adults headed down the street together, probably to a park where they could do more visiting.

We came home to watch Sunday School and later the missionary meeting. "Why I Believe" was broadcast at 6. Somewhere in there we had dinner.  

SK took a nap in the afternoon, and I sat in the living room working on my lesson. I opened all the windows, letting the light and cool air spill in. As I curled up on the couch reading, I began to listen to the almost unfamiliar sounds outside. There are several houses outside and to the left of our flat, each with a garden or back yard. Someone was having a party!

The sound of music, laughter, chatter, and children playing was delightful - and loud. It has been as quiet as a mausoleum on Sundays for many many months, and the sounds of people enjoying the outdoors was as welcome as the sun. I imagine we will be hearing more and more of that.  

As SK says, "We've never been here on a May 2." May 2, now eight months to the day when we arrived back, and I think life is renewing itself in many delightful ways.

Comments

Erin said…
That sounds beautiful!
May 5, 2021 at 11:34 PM
melissa said…
What an exciting day!
May 9, 2021 at 4:50 PM
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