Virus plus car ride plus pastor plus pandemic and worship plus pentecost

In the category of Probably No One Knows or at least not yet fully about the spread of #CoronaVirus in WA and who infects who, a newspaper article:  History of WA CoronaVirus outbreak still to be written

In the category of who will be worshipping how this weekend now that Gov. Inslee has allowed new increments of religious gatherings:

--RantMom is having issues about the timing of hre retirement community's breakfast delivery and streaming the earliest service at Little Sister's church. RantMom still has her early bird farm kid wiring. RantWoman has not checked back with either RantMom or Little Sister about some issues with finding the video feed. Plus RantMom says that Little Sister's church was going to have a massive car-friendly gathering out at MaryMoor park. RantMom does not know what is happening with the live-stream. And there may be pouring rain.

--RantMom has been seeing her own church service via Facebook Live, when RantMom can find the right search bar, in Facebook, not just in her browser. Enough said about that. RantMom is grateful that people from her church brought by a number of items including a cookie with some reference to Pentecost. RantWoman regrets not listening as closely as would be appropriate. RantWoman is also thinking that Pentecost via Zoom could have all kinds of possibilities she does not expect RantMom's church to explore.

--Little Sister has been doing WAY more to help RantMom find the church service options than RantWoman. RantWoman is grateful! And Little Sister is on her own but seems to be making things work.

--RantWoman's faith community will be heavy into praying for the cares of the world. Some in RantWoman's faith community will be out in the continuing protest participation and prayer stream.

--RantWoman's faith community has been experimenting with Zoom and long-distance gathering. This seems unlikely to change instantly.

--RantWoman needs to write a condolence note to a much loved couple, members of her faith community who RantWoman will refer to as Kindest Editor Ever. Kindest Editor is a well-known poet. When RantWoman wishes to write only of poetry, RantWoman will use Kindest Editor Ever's full name. Kindest Editor Ever and Mrs. Kindest Editor Ever are well into their 90's. Written communications still come from the kind of serious typewriter that produces imprints so sharp one can almost read the correspondence by touch. Almost. More to the point, electronic communications are NOT their game so they are unlikely even to be present in any form of electronic worship in RantWoman's faith community. One of this couple's sons died recently after a short and dramatic battle with a brain tumor. RantWoman has been thinking she needs to put pen to paper, but considering the limitations of fat pen and scribble font, maybe RantWoman should just lay fingers to keyboard and hit print and then use Snail Mail on actual paper. Paper? Virus? Ack!


That said, the rest of this post is about virus and car rides and why EVERYONE should wear a mask and about getting around by bus. In particular, not only is RantWoman not afraid to ride the bus, RantWoman most of the time is actually less afraid of riding transit than of riding in cars, even if everyone in the close space of a car also wears masks. RantWoman is probably an outlier about this point of view. RantWoman also frets about the possibility of massive cuts in transit service as different revenue streams wither in #pandemic economic dislocation. Maybe RantWoman is gettign ahead of things.

This post is also about faith, faith as in bible study through RantMom's church. Saturday morning Bible study sometimes happens at the church in Rainier Beach and sometimes at Luther's Table in Renton and sometimes at a retirement community in Renton. RantWoman does not think Bible Study has happened during the #StayHome order.

RantMom used to live in SE Seattle. The move to her current retirement community has kinked transportation realities related to Bible study. RantMom had several options for rides from her apartment in S. Seattle. Often she rode with her pastor. From N Seattle, RantMom can take a frequent bus to the Light Rail and then meet her rides at a S Seattle light rail station. RantMom still most often rides from there with her pastor. RantWoman is DEEPLY grateful to RantMom's church and to her pastor for, over the 14 years RantMom has lived in Seattle, helping RantMom feel welcome and adjust to life in Seattle.

All this makes one question even more awkward: Was a car ride with RantMom how her pastor got the #CoronaVirus? RantMom tested positive for #Covid19 for a number of weeks before apparently clearing the virus without anything reported to RantWoman beyond the slightest ambiguous increments of everyday health issues. During the time that RantMOM would probably have been able to spread the virus, she rode with her pastor, RantWoman thinks, to Bible study. The ride was probably long enough and in a tightly closed car that RantWoman can easily see the possibility that RantMom unintentionally infected her pastor. RantMom's pastor got sick, not sick enough to need to be hospitalized but from what RantMom shared sick enough to be pretty miserable for about two weeks.

RantMom's pastor is wonderful exactly because she actively visits members of her flock, interacts with the wider community in her neighborhood, and generally interacts with LOTS of people. RantWoman has no knowledge of the pastor's schedule about such interactions in the same time interval when she gave RantMom a ride somewhere. RantWoman has enough to do, though, having conversations with RantMom about how her pastor got infected: RantWoman can envision various science pieces probably for privacy reasons not topical for RantMom and her pastor. RantWoman realized there are pieces of the conversation where someone with mental health training might be needed and recommended that RantMom talk to her community's social worker.

RantWoman knows there is much caring all around but has no idea about exact details of conversations between various parties. RantWoman can just imagine LOTS of reasons for awkwardness. Apparently, there has been some media interview and even a photo op; RantWoman thinks RantMom would probably send a link if she has one, but...

RantWoman here includes links to two hymns for readers who want some forms of service; RantWoman chose these hymns without regard to the church year or whether she has heard either one at RantMom's church.
Be Thou My Vision

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing


Hymns aside, can anyone imagine why RantWoman might be a little touchy about rides of any length in a closed car, whether RantWoman is riding with someone she knows well or riding with a taxi or rideshare driver? Masks matter, but ...

RantWoman prefers the bus! There is a greater volume of air circulating. People's ability to do social distancing varies. Mask wearing is becoming more nearly universal. And one vehicle still takes up much less road space than moving the same number of people in private cars. RantWoman promises to fulminate further in a separate post, hopefully less entangled with questions of worship and travel to worship.

the bus now for RantMom: RantMom really cannot get on the bus without the driver lowering the bus and sometimes deploying the ramp for RantMom's wheeled backpack.

ACCESS or uber / lyft


RantWoman and bus driver and more cubic feet of air and sit behind the plexiglass or in the courtesy area.