School for the kids ends this week, and we’ll all of us be safely vaccinated by the end of June, so this summer will be different from last summer.
We were very lucky during this pandemic year away from the usual life. My husband and I were able to work from home, and our kids were able to take their classes from home too. We sheltered in place safely. As a Type 1 diabetic with a compromised immune system, nothing was brought home to put me in the hospital in a life or death situation. Although we missed seeing our family and friends, and the four of us were in tight quarters juggling schooling and work in a small 2 bedroom apartment, we managed to stay safe and healthy. All of our family members in this country and abroad managed to stay safe.
My coworkers’ families however, fared much worse. One attended a funeral for four relatives who died within weeks of one another early last summer. Another lost her husband earlier this year. One caught COVID and passed it on to her family members – luckily they are all still around, but she is suffering from what is known as “long COVID.”
Life is precious. Every day I counted, and still count, my blessings. I tell my children that they shouldn’t consider this a lost year, but an unusual and lucky year. They are growing older, and for the first time in my life with them I was able to be at home with them every day, all day. That was impossible for me after they were only 4 and 5 months old and ever since, because I had to work. So before they become adults and leave the nest to make their own, it’s incredibly meaningful to me that I had this time with them, and we were together every day, for all this time.
And I hope they always remember this strange year, a time of danger and a time for being grateful, simultaneously, as I will.
Odilonvert 