Grace Notes – ’How’s everybody doing?’

On Jan. 29 of this year Elmo, the red Sesame Street Muppet, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “How’s everybody doing?”

It was read by more than 52 million people and received thousands of replies.

I don’t follow Elmo on X, but I do on Instagram and Threads. I love how he often checks in with people to see if they’re OK.

Here are some of the replies from his Jan. 29 post:

“I’m at my lowest. Thanks for asking.” “Elmo, I’m depressed and broke.” “Suffering from existential dread over here.”

“The world is burning around us, Elmo.”

The Oreo cookie account replied: “Ran out of milk — do the math.”

Someone wrote: “Not well, Elmo. They done raised rent and everything. I’m coming to live with you on Sesame Street.”

Another wrote: “Elmo, get outta here. It isn’t safe.”

In a comment about the massive number of replies, someone named Becky said people were “trauma dumping so hard on Elmo” that the official Sesame Street X account tweeted out mental health resources. She added, “God help us.”

How’s everybody doing?

A few years ago, I wrote a story for the paper about local artist Doug Nicholson and his painting titled “The Darker Side of Hope: Hope, the Anchor of Our Soul.”

In 2020, he took the painting off his wall and put it on his front porch so people passing by could see it.

“When you don’t have hope…you lose everything — your joy, your creativity, friends, relationships,” he said in 2020.

He said when people stopped to look at his painting he told them, “Jesus is the anchor for our souls, and we can live through anything that happens if we have an anchor," also that, “Jesus is the light of the world.”

When I first saw his painting with the big, swirling vortex at the bottom, it made me feel uneasy. But then I saw the vivid pinks and blues, the bright yellow and white, like a sunrise at dawn or the sun’s rays breaking through dark storm clouds.

Sunday, Dec. 1 starts the four weeks of Advent. Recently, I took an early peek at an Advent devotional that began with darkness with a scripture from Isaiah: “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people. But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:2).

It’s because of darkness that we can see light. Stars shine brightest in the blackest night sky.

When Isaiah lived, Israel hadn’t heard a word from God in several hundred years. Times were dark, and they longed for light. They longed for hope.

Isaiah told them that a light was coming, the Advent promise of the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, the “light of the world.”

The people to whom Isaiah spoke of the promise didn’t live to see its fulfillment, but we have.

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress…the people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1-2).

How’s everybody doing?

We’re “depressed and broke” and “suffering from existential dread,” but we can live through anything that happens if we have hope as an anchor.

The promise of Advent is hope, the hope of Jesus who came into the world to pierce the darkness of sin and bring the light of redemption and reconciliation through his death on the Cross.

We’re doing good, Elmo.

Contact Nancy Kennedy at 352-564-2927 (leave a message) or email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com .

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Grace Notes – ’How’s everybody doing?’