SUNDAY SERVICE

I pulled my bathrobe a little tighter before I sat down on the couch and grabbed my laptop.

“Okay, let’s see if she sent me the link.” I said to myself as I opened my mail. Sure enough my sister, Liz had sent me the link to her church service.

I settled back in the cushions and reached for my cup of tea. Taking a sip I waited for the service to start.

When I’d visited my sister a few weeks back, I’d gone to a Sunday service with her. She was a member of the choir and I’d wanted to hear her sing. The last time I’d heard her sing was when she was living in New York and was one of the main soloists for a church on Lexington Ave. I’d try to go into the city a few times a year to hear her sing. But now that she’d moved to North Carolina I’d missed listening to her.

Well, I enjoyed the service so much that when I got home from my visit I began virtually attending church with her.

I took another sip of tea as I watched the choir file into the church. I could see the service was about to begin.

That’s when my son Alex came into the room. I put my finger to my lips and whispered. “I’m in church.”

Alex eyebrows went up and he started to laugh. “In your bathrobe?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not interactive. They can’t see me.” I watched as the congregation stood to sing the first anthem. I put my finger to my lips again. “Let me know if you can hear Aunt Lizzy when she sings?” I whispered.

This was one of the reasons I liked her church so much. They had a lot of music.

The anthem started and sure enough you could hear my sister as she sang. I looked over at Alex and smiled. “Do you hear her?”

Alex nodded as he headed into the kitchen to make some coffee.

I was humming along with the anthem, amazed at how many of the songs I’d recognized over the past few services.

Several minutes later it was time for the choir to sing. This was when the camera panned out and I could see my sister as she sung with the group. “Do you want to see Aunt Lizzy?” I called to Alex.

Alex came back into the living room. I moved the laptop so that he could see. “She’s right there!” I pointed to her.

“Yup. There she is.” He sat down on the other side of the couch.

That’s when my husband Steven came into the room. “Anyone interested in some breakfast?” he asked.

I put my finger to my lips and whispered. “Not right now. We’re in church.”

Alex looked over at me and shook his head. “I’m not in church.” He got up and headed to the kitchen. “And I’m definitely interested in some breakfast.”

“I’m making some eggs and sausage.” Steven followed Alex into the kitchen.

“Hey, can you save me some?” I called. “I’d like to have some when the service let’s out.”

Steven poked his head around the corner. “Why don’t I just bring you a plate and you can eat it while your watching?”

I cringed. “I don’t know. That seems kind of disrespectful.”

Steven started to laugh. “You’re curled up on the couch in your pajamas, talking through half the service!”

I cringed again. “You’re right.” I whispered as I adjusted the laptop. “I’ll make my own breakfast after the service.”