Dear Harpeth Hills,

It struck me yesterday that while we are all in a time of discombobulation, we are not all having the same experience. Some of us are busy beyond belief, others are bored out of their minds. Most of us are healthy, but others are not. Many are still working and in fact are working longer hours, others are laid off. Younger families struggle through home-schooling nightmares, older couples don’t have a single textbook in their homes. Many singles live in solitude, others have people with whom to share daily life. Some have become well acquainted with Zoom, others don’t know what it is. A few who were already home-centered have experienced little change to their routine, but most of us feel as if life has been turned upside down.

These differences in our experiences occurred to me as I considered our efforts to provide content and opportunities for contact online. In the back of my mind I have been thinking, “We have to produce all this stuff. They have lots of time on their hands.” Then it struck me. Many of you are as busy as I have been, and others even more so. You are paddling furiously just to keep your head above water.

If the last line describes you, hang in there. If you happen to not read this note for two weeks because you are so overwhelmed, feel no guilt. I am pretty sure, you are like the rest of us. You are doing the best you can.

Keep paddling. And praying.

I love you.

—Chris Smith