As many of you might be feeling right now, I am so tired of this continuing battle against Covid. My patience and tolerance is wearing very thin. Despite all good attempts at social distancing and quarantining, I grow weary of our “new normal.” Even though I am one of the lucky ones, a retired Mom of six adult children and five beautiful grandchildren, I can’t help but feel totally empathetic for everyone during this pandemic.
When I was working for a little over 10 years at the local library, I visited schools and day cares to do story times, and brought seniors large print books and audio books to help pass their days. I always enjoyed visiting the seniors to listen to their stories. I enjoyed watching the faces of the children as they reacted to the stories I read and the activities we did together.Now the library is closed, the senior living centers are closed for visitors and the schools are closed as well as most day cares.
Our world has been totally turned upside down and the youngest and oldest are the ultimate victims of this dreaded virus. Parents are forced to choose between the safety of their children and working from home with their children in tow. Adult children are relegated to phone calls or face time with their elderly parents in assisted living or nursing homes. Grandchildren are denied the reassuring hugs of their grandparents, and grandparents miss the more frequent visits of their grandchildren.
There were ” virtual graduations” for the Seniors of 2020, drive by birthday parties for family members, and online meetings for employees and family members. Technology has helped ease the burden by replacing in person visits with “virtual” visits, but things are just not the same. We find ourselves trying to come up with new schedules for our days. New projects, decluttering, lawn care, reading, arts and crafts projects, TV marathons, are ways to cope.
For awhile my two daughters visited via porch or patio visits, but the heat of the summer has made that impossible now, so we have family room meetings every now and then. I enjoy talking to all my adult children on my Duo app of the cell phone but was used to seeing them more often before Covid. We are all concerned about passing Covid to one another. The asymptomatic part of the disease is the worst part of it. We can’t know if we might have it and pass it on.
So what is a mother and grandmother to do? I pray daily and hope for an end to this disease. Of course, I pray for my family and friends, but also for the front line workers and scientists who are searching for a vaccine, and the thousands of families whose lives have been changed forever by the loss of their loved ones. This is an unimaginable world disaster that is going to leave a lasting scar on our society. My hope is that we now have the time to realize how good our lives were before Covid and learn to appreciate and be grateful for the blessings we still have in our lives. Love is the tie that binds and love is forever. Let’s not lose hope and remember to love our families and friends. This might be the true lesson to be learned during this pandemic. Stay safe!
