Vaccines – katyandtheword

Childhood, a Prayer

God there are so many
worries I have in
the world

But then I remember
that Ozma**
was restored
to rule
and got
her happy ending
and became a girl***
without any fuss at all

And that stories of
Defying Gravity
for
Different
Divergent
Witches
In not Pink Skins
are inspiring
Songs everywhere

and that Glinda too
realized
she needed a castle
with women

I remember that
Banksy is creating
and recreating
for Peace

I read all the
Science Fiction
and Fantasy
about acceptance

I remember
that people are
upset about
Woke
things
Because they
sell so well

And I take a deep breath
And sing
the Magnificat
Again

With Mary
As
We Advent
(Wait, Long, etc.)
again
for Jesus

*Footnote: Link above Mary Poppins Spoonful of sugar was inspired by the oral Polio vaccine which was given with a square of sugar to help the medicine go down. I am very worried about the discrediting of vaccines in this day of age. I am also worried because I have a child with autism, and although vaccines do not cause autism, time and time again people have insisted they basically would rather risk death then have a child with autism. It is a sobering thought.

**Footnote: Read Ozma of Oz, it is one of the first happy endings for LGBTQIA. Also L. Frank Baum wrote many, many women based upon his feminist mother-in-law, some of them funny, some of them strong, all of them amazing. There is a lot of variation in Oz, because it is fantasy. It is amazing, per usual. Wicked also has LGBTQIA acceptance obliquely within it, however L. Frank Baum’s stories are wide open for interpretation as most fantastic stories are.

***Footnote: “became a girl” is not quite right but it’s fantasy and this is poetry I don’t want to ruin for you…so excuse my clumsy wording for the gist of the mystery of the book that you will now have to read.

Selah! Praying for Babies & Vaccines

Praying

for all the babies

to be vaccinated

ASAP,

and praying

for all the parents

(and grandparents and beloveds)

of those babies

who have been waiting

half past forever

to exhale

they know

what Selah means

Selah God

Selah!*

Amen.

*Selah is some kind of exclamatory sigh thing in the Bible that we don’t really know how to translate

Feel free to use/share/adapt/sigh/scream abundantly with some kind of credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Shots & Curses: Thank God for Vaccines!

God, This is a word of Prayer

Of Thanksgiving! For vaccines for all the elementary Schoolers

The 5-11 year olds who have had to wait, 20 long months

Without friends and with masks.

With parents who loved them, and many grownups who acted not in their best interest–

This is a prayer for the kids who had to stay cooped up

all alone, or play only with their siblings and parents until they drove their parents batty

who had to do school (or try to) at home.

This is a prayer for all those kiddos who finally get those shots

and a continued prayers for the preschoolers and babies who can’t get theirs yet.

You know God, that I don’t use curse words much.

At the tender age of 7 I saw My Left Foot

And when the Main Character cursed, frustrated by his disability–

(even though of course I had already heard those words on the bus,

as my mom’s friend pointed out when she was worried about showing me the movie)

I learned that those words should be used in very important situations.

This is why I think getting a COVID shot is the perfect time to say

Fuck.

whether it’s to withstand the pain–or to to curse out all the time this interminably long wait has been.

Fuck,

Fuck Yeah.

May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'T-Mobile 5:12 PM 34% Tweet Madiha Tariq @madihaforequity Useful parenting advice around COVID vaccines (borrowed from a friend) GruMPY D.L. The Harrowing of Hell Mayfield @d_l_mayfield my kids are scared of shots, like most kids are. but told them they could say the F word if they wanted to when getting the COVID vaccine, and now they are pretty pumped for it. Tweet your reply'

And thank God for the Vaccine!

Let’s Go Get our next round of Shots!

Fuck!

Thank you!

Amen!

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

Pandemic Prayers & Resources

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The Kingdom of Heaven Prayer

God, my heart is so happy whenever I hear or see that anyone has received the vaccine. It makes me want to throw a party.

So God, today the kingdom of heaven looks like everyone being vaccinated and going to a party.

No one is too early and no one is too late to join the party.

We are all dressed like we want God, to the nines or comfortably.

No one is jealous or pushing in line, no one is worried that there is not enough food or glamour or belovedness to go around.

Every single person is called by their name and preferred pronouns are used without a misstep or a blink of surprise.

God, today the kingdom of heaven looks like Spring with kids playing freely, unbothered but the stresses of the pandemic.

Homes are warm and dry and safe and accessible; everyone has one to go to and no one is afraid to go home.

People are supported: their status is not defined by their age or gender or class or marital status. Every person is celebrated.

People’s traditions and roots and experiences are valued and validated. Science is no longer, ever, seen to be in conflict with faithfulness.

And Faith is in the room. Faith that word which is almost never used to refer to a singular person’s set of beliefs, but instead is a word that honors the system of the community that glues them together through ritual and hope. Faith is abundant.

God, your kingdom come, your will be done. I pray now and forever.

Amen.

Feel Free to Use/Adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta