A friend shared a thought last week about writing down some of the events and experiences of living through these times, in the case that her grand children ever wonder about the historical realities of living through a pandemic. Clearly, it was my experience to suspend writing because I felt some sort of oppressive push against everything that is ‘normal’ or natural in my life and so my writing ground to a halt. Well, this morning, I am inspired by Mary to archive some of the ways we are remaining connected through this event.
Each one of us is experiencing a birthday or other important anniversary through this pandemic. For some of us, that means a Zoom meet up…here is one, held for my friend Bee, just last week. Each of us brought a candle and we sang happy birthday together and as his daughter Christina led us through questions, we shared memories of Bill.
Zoom has provided for some wonderful fun through these strange events. For those of us privileged enough to have a phone or a desktop computer or a laptop, this experience has helped us to sustain connections. I add this caveat because I didn’t always have the means to own a VCR or a microwave and I’m pretty sure it took me a long time after it was the norm, to purchase my first desktop computer. It is important through a pandemic to realize that our neighbours are not all able to access the same resources. This is one of the struggles during an epidemic.
Easter Dinner was actually my very first Zoom experience. Grateful to my daughter for always taking the initiative to get us doing something different. She made the invite.
Another family gathering happened. Those who could, showed up and I loved every minute. And yes, even pets show up now and again. Hi, Nellie!
On the anniversary of my brother’s passing, family members from across the country, connected so that we could feel closer. It was a difficult time. To this point, I have not ever initiated a Zoom conference, but I’ve been blessed to be invited to these events.
We raised our glasses!
My father is living in a senior’s community and his social director organized for a trivia contest where Zoom family members would appear on large screen in their gathering area. It was a funny hat event and so my siblings and I showed up for that, of course! Given that Dad’s population is under restrictions, it is a blessing that Stirling Park has kept a social program going, alive and well. I believe that we all need connection at this time. The next few posts will also be about different ways that you might connect with people you love.
