COVID Month 1 Memes

Apr 13, 2020 | Musings

FIELD NOTES

COVID-19

One Month in Memes

Written by Sarah Verno

13 April 2020

One month ago, I was working my typical Friday shift at the library. Two hours before closing, management announced we would not be coming back the next day, or any day for the rest of March.

Here we are, April 13th, 1 month into quarantine and still trying to figure out what life and work looks like during this unprecedented season. Good thing there are meme’s to help us along the way!

But first, a little adaptation I wrote from The Sound of Music:

When COVID bites,

Quarantine stings,

When I’m feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite memes

And then I don’t feel soooo bad.

On that note, here are some of my favorites from Month 1 of the Coronavirus quarantine.

IMPORTANT: I do not own any copyrights to any of the following images or phrases used in these memes. 

Your Love’s Too Good To Leave Me Here

Apr 6, 2020 | Faith

LIFE & FAITH
Your Love’s Too Good to Leave Me Here
Written by Sarah Verno
5 APRIL 2020
“You love me as you find me.”
Watching Hillsong’s live version of this beautiful song, I think about how “as you find me” means something so different than it did two weeks ago. COVID-19 has changed everything. “As you find me” is now at home, not going to our workplaces, not shopping, not planning trips, not going to parties, not going to church, not sending kids to schools.

“I was found before I was lost…”

@annaelisabethsmith via Twenty20

Even as an introvert who is completely content sitting in silence by myself for days on end, there is something unsettling about this new norm. I watch a video like this one with thousands of people crammed in a venue singing their hearts out together, and I can’t help but wonder when the world will be ready and open to this again.

In many ways, I took worshipping in groups for granted. It’s not always (and for me, rarely) comfortable singing such intimate, personal words to my Savior in the midst of crowded rooms. (Mostly because I have a hard time focusing.)

Yet, there is something so undeniably powerful that happens when people come together and, with one voice, proclaim Truth over feelings and sing songs of hope in this chaotic, broken world.

Concerts were a significant part of my life and faith-journey through my adolescence. In many ways, music saved my soul because it connected me to the heart of Jesus, and kept pulling me back, grounding me. I remember so many life-changing moments I’ve had at concerts like this one where my heart was lifted out of the gutter and my feet were set back on solid ground.

So, what does it look like for us to worship together in isolation? I’m not sure, but I’m thankful to be part of a church that’s trying to figure it out, and for bands like Hillsong United for pointing us back to the source of our Hope.

“As You Find Me”

By Hillsong UNITED

I’ve been strong
And I’ve been broken within a moment
I’ve been faithful
And I’ve been reckless at every bend
I’ve held everything together
And watched it shatter
I’ve stood tall and I have crumbled
In the same breath
I have wrestled
And I have trembled toward surrender
Chased my heart adrift
And drifted home again
Plundered blessing
Till I’ve been desperate to find redemption
And every time I turn around
Lord You’re still there
I was found
Before I was lost
I was Yours
Before I was not
Grace to spare
For all my mistakes
And that part just wrecks me
And I know I don’t deserve this kind of love
Somehow this kind of love is who You are
It’s a grace I could never add up
To be somebody You still want
But somehow
You love me as You find me
Who am I
To think Your glory needs my praises
But if this borrowed breath is Yours Lord
Take it all
You are faithful and You are gracious
And I’m just grateful
To think You don’t need a single thing
And still You want my heart
I was found
Before I was lost
I was Yours
Before I was not
You wear the scars
For all my mistakes
And that part just wrecks me
Your love’s too good to leave me here
If You want my heart
I won’t second guess
‘Cause I need Your love
More than anything
I’m in
I’m Yours
Your love’s too good to leave me here
Your love’s too good to leave me

Escape into Star Wars

Mar 21, 2020 | Musings

LIBRARY LIFE, MEDIA

Escape into star wars

Written by Sarah Verno

26 APRIL 2020

“If you haven’t gone through a midlife crisis during this quarantine, then you’re not doing it right.” 

I’ve been saying it for years, and now it’s time I put my money where my mouth is: I’m going to watch the entire Star Wars enterprise. I know the optimal viewing order is highly debated, so I consulted many resources on the best sequence to watch these. Since I am not familiar with any of them, the general consensus was to watch them in the order by release date:

STAR WARS

In Order by Release Date

  1. A New Hope
  2. Empire Strikes Back
  3. Return of the Jedi
  4. Phantom Menace
  5. Attack of the Clones
  6. Revenge of the Sith
  7. The Force Awakens
  8. The Last Jedi
  9. Rogue One*
  10. Solo*
  11. The Rise of Skywalker

“This [order] tells the story as it originally was told and will keep you from asking pesky timeline questions when it is better to just sit back and enjoy the storytelling,” said Kevin, the manager at the Library I work at. “*Rogue One and Solo can fit in anywhere after you have watched 1-6 above.  I would keep the storyline continuity of 1-8 and then watch them even though Rogue One actually came out before The Last Jedi.”

I should also note that I am not including TV shows at this point, only focusing on the central Star Wars storyline.

Here we go. May the force be with… me.

Podcasting Just Got “Lit”

Jan 8, 2020 | Library Life

LIBRARY LIFE

Podcasting just got “lit”

Written by Sarah Verno

8 JANUARY 2020

So… flow?

I will admit, before Saturday I was vaguely unaware of the Flow Arts community. I’d seen fire dances at events, but I had no idea the community at large was so vast and so intricately connected.

The library is a fascinating place to work because it brings in eclectic and passionate people on the regular. We are blessed to have a recording studio setup in our location (and yes, it’s free to use – how awesome is that!?), which attracts all sorts of people using it to record music, make movies, stream podcasts, launch videoblogs, etc. This is how I met Chris and Raye, the co-hosts of the Flow and Grow Podcast.

In the Podcast, Raye and Chris talk a lot on how flow has helped them in their everyday lives to keep a positive mindset and connection to a community.

“We call this Flow and Grow Podcast because without flow both of us would not be at the point of our lives that we have grown to love.” – Chris

The Power of Flow Arts as Positive Replacement Habits

One of the first things I noticed when I met Chris was his genuine kindness and openness to sharing and spreading his passion for flow arts. When I asked him about their podcast, he shared how flow arts has helped him stay sober for 5 years now, and he wants to share the freedom and community it brought to his life with people he meets.

“Growth is a huge part of our life and I personally believe #flowarts can help anybody find a higher outlook on life!” – Chris

When Chris feels the urge to drink, he spins instead. He calls this “trigger tying,” or replacing negative habits with positive ones. Instead of participating in something that only takes life from him, he repurposes that energy into creating something that gives life.

Spreading the Fire

When I met Raye, her smile alone was evidence enough of just how much joy the flow arts bring to her life. Raye got her start in flow while participating in the Cincinnati Circus, and eventually made her way to Denver to be around more sunlight (Denver averages 245 days of sunshine per year, can you blame her?).

When I told Raye that I was new to flow and didn’t know much about it, she immediately took out her fire stick and brought me into the green room to have me TRY IT OUT FOR MYSELF. (Don’t worry, there was no fire involved.)

Before doing anything else, here she was was taking the time and generously sharing her talents and equipment for me to experience the power of flow first-hand.

When life gets hard, Raye says she “just keeps spinning.” And I love that.

Flow and Grow Podcast

ON INSTAGRAM

Flow and Grow Podcast

ON FACEBOOK

It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!

Dec 30, 2019 | Musings

FTC DISCLOSURE: Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

Why?

“Because the cleverness and creativity throughout the illustrations is completely irresistable.”

– Sarah Verno

Get the Book

Book Description from Amazon:

Dexter T. Rexter is going to school. But will anyone like him?

Tomorrow is the biggest event ever in Dexter’s life: his best friend, Jack, is taking him to school for Show and Tell Day! Dexter has been getting ready for weeks. But now he’s a little nervous. What if the other kids don’t like him? So Dexter decides to come up with a plan. He’ll wear a costume. Dinosaurs in bunny ears look good, right? He’ll recite state capitals starting with…uh…ah…er. Then he realizes something. He can’t dance. He can’t recite things. He doesn’t have ANY skills. What’s a dino to do?

This comical, interactive tale of belonging, friendship, anticipation, and first-day-at-school jitters lets readers experience the excitement and nervousness along with Dexter—and even offer him a little advice along the way.