Isolation? What isolation? Lack of human interaction is debilitating.
It began when I was not allowed near my daughter, who is a front-line NHS nurse; I couldn’t hug her when she was sick and she thrives on hugs. I would video chat with her and send emoticon hugs and hearts but that is not the same as an actual hug. She lives alone and I could feel her energy dwindling. She was withering.
"Let’s bake together by video!" I suggested 2 weeks ago. Her spirits began to stir again. Her eyes started to sparkle. She was all smiles. “Yes, let’s bake!”
Two Sundays ago, we connected via Facebook messenger video chat and we both had a mission. She was baking for her colleagues at the Royal hospital, I was baking for me (good enough I thought)!
Photos of chocolate orange brownies and chocolate orange chip cookies were shared on my social media and it all started!
The joy of connecting with another human is so basic, so essential, and so vital to our mental health.
Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us today: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Quarantine Queens (and Kings hopefully) began and our first baking session was last Sunday 12th April. Six of us logged in for a Zoom meeting with mixing bowls ready and chat on our lips!
The feedback was little about the bread and butter pudding (which was yummy) and more about the connecting, the craic and the laughter over burnt milk and soggy middles.
Anyone interested in each week joining us in zoom, ask for the group membership to Quarantine Queens in Fiona Mckee's Facebook Messenger and the next weeks recipe will be sent and the Zoom meeting ID will be sent into the group. We meet at 11am!
Please continue to connect! We are not giving up meeting together, live. We are encouraging each other and in opening our baking with prayer, we know that our God becomes the binding agent. All welcome to join in the mix!
