Covid 19

2020 A very unusual year. I call it the Year of living dangerously. Why? Life has been turned upside down because we cannot live the way we used to. Most of us who do not work have had to isolate ourselves. The only place we have left the house for was to buy groceries. Armed with a mask and gloves, we run into the grocery store, follow our list. Place items in the cart while staying away from every other person. Grag your food and wait 6 feet apart on line to pay. Then, load your car and head home. The only other store I ventured to was the pharmacy for necessities. Easter came and we visited via zoom. It wasn't the best holiday we ever had together, apart. No Masses for months. When they were offered, we were more than 6 feet apart and in every other row. I opted to skip communion but I felt more comfortable in Church.Watching Mass on television just wasn't keeping my attention. Almost every public place was closed: libraries, stores, town hall, restaurants and even our beaches for months. Then slowly these began to open to limited capacity. Use hand sanitizer, wear a mask ans stay away from others. That is the mantra, and, of course wash your hands frequently. No hugging, no physical contact whatsoever. I postponed all doctors' appointments and when I did go in, it was by appointment with no one else around. We did go to the beach and sat in the sun. We met with our beach friends, apart. The number of cases lessend around June. We made a decision to have our daughter and family come to visit this summer. Now months later, the numbers, in general, are rising. What do we do about Thanksgiving and Christmas? Being indoors with people, seems to spread the disease. So, we have to decide, closer to the time. An unusual year, and one none of us will forget. Will we ever get back to normal? I don't know. News of the vaccines are promising but no guarantees. I pray a lot for my family, friends and everyone else. Scary times. I know this. I value my family more than ever. When we do see each other, we don't take our time togetherr for granted. So even living in these unueual times, there is hope and an appreciation of family. Stay safe and well.

The Beauty of Having a Sister

What is it about getting older? The older I get the more I appreciate my loved ones. Case in point----my sister. Today is her birthday and I can't be with her as she lives in another state. We do get together once a year for a week of catching up. We are very different in personality, yet, I do believe we complement each other. Lu is the more fun loving one and I am the more serious one. We enjoy being together and laugh a lot. What could be better than that? She looks so much like our Mom, when she was young. And now, people say I look like her when she was older. When our Dad was seriously ill, she and her husband Tom offered to have him live with them until I could arrange for a caregiver. Dad stayed with them for 10 months! My sister, a nurse, took great care of him and helped me set up a protocol when he returned to his home. I am lucky to have a dear sister and today especially, I am thinking of her and miss her.