COVID - Different when affecting you

For several months COVID affected us as differently and became a blessing for everyone in our neighborhood. At 5 p.m. every afternoon we met at the end of the cul-de-sac in one of our neighbor’s driveway. We social distanced our chairs - at least 6' apart. We each brought what we wanted to drink – alcohol, water or nothing. We met for an hour and then returned home.

People who never met each other previously became friends. We went through a couple deaths together. We only stopped doing it when it turned cold.

One of our neighbors is now putting heat in her garage so we can continue this tradition throughout the Michigan Winter. It has been that powerful for people who live on the same street tally know each other.

The pandemic was different for us in ways it doesn’t affect most. My daughter and her fiance' planned their wedding in Banff, CN. After the wedding many of us planned on boarding a train travelling through the Canadian Rockies with a destination of Vancouver. From there they were sailing to Alaska for their honeymoon.

COVID - is different when it hits the family plans. Wedding in Banff - CANCELLED. Train through the Rockies - CANCELLED. Honeymoon on ship to Alaska - CANCELLED.

When life gives you lemons - well you know the rest of this statement. Wedding at mom's in suburban Cleveland. Mom has enough acreage, a beautiful pond and we were blessed with sunny July day to make it perfect. More people, more family and more memories. The only challenging thing was wearing masks. We did. Most didn't.

Train trip through the Rockies - rescheduled for next July. Honeymoon? Alaska cruise sometime in the future. It all worked.

MK and I both retired in 2020 so we scheduled a Viking Cruise on the Rhine River next March as a retirement gift to each other. So exciting to think about. Until yesterday. All Viking cruises cancelled through March.

We are now experiencing a few of our family members getting COVID-19. Even though some masked up continuously, washed hands and had a can of Lysol at their hip constantly.

Life if different when it hits you. Leaders know this – every once in a while they need to be reminded. This, however, is a cruel way to be reminded or to learn, exactly, what millions of other are going through. We all need to pray for a cure.