It Was The Last Normal Week

If you were on Social Media yesterday you might have seen a post that said, “A year ago this was the last normal week and nobody knew it.” It’s true, even though it seems like it’s been more than a year at times. On March 6,2020 we were still living what, at the time, was a normal life.

It was the last normal week

I was here in Virginia Beach watching my grandson but assuming it would only be for a couple of months. We actually WENT to church, and even went into the building, and we were allowed to sing! I saw a memory come up in my Facebook the other day of being at a restaurant with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. We had no masks on and that was the last time we went out for dinner for a few months.

Canceled!

Remember when sports just stopped? That’s when I knew this was going to be serious. Those leagues do everything they can to make money. Then it was almost like the domino principle as one thing fell after another. The Boston Marathon got cancelled. Baseball was delayed. Summer concerts were canceled. Broadway shut down and there was no Portuguese Feast!

I have friends who are musicians and some that DJ weddings and those industries just stopped. Couples delayed their weddings. Churches closed. Graduations were canceled. So many people worked from home. It was something we have never seen before.

It was like something out of the Zombie Apocalypse. I used to watch “The Walking Dead” and I’m sure I’m not the only one who made a connection between that show and what we were experiencing.

Dr. Who?

I didn’t know who this Dr. Fauci was but that would quickly change. It also didn’t take long before people started taking sides on who and what to believe.

Many of us, if not all, have known someone who came down with the Virus. Some survived but far too many did not. It didn’t seem to matter what age you were as it went after children, adults and seniors. May their stories be kept alive by loved ones.

On the bright side

There have been some positives:

I kind of like the “6 feet apart” rule. I like my space.

I also think I might keep a few masks around for when I have a cold. I’m not sure but I think there’s been a drastic decrease in colds this year.

One surprising story I read is that the flu nearly killed 200 children last year. This year: one. You read that right: one.

My youngest daughter, Kat, is the new athletic trainer at Norton High School. Now that football is being played in March she pointed out that the masks we all wear are nice and warm when you have to be outside.

We’re lucky that we live in the age of technology. Virtual school, while not the best, has been able to function. We can stay in touch with loved ones through Zoom and we could still have some sort of church thanks to Zoom, Facebook, FaceTime or YouTube.

When will we get back to normal? This summer? Next school year? Christmas? I honestly have no idea but I think we’re headed in the right direction. 

Just think of everything you’ve been through in the past year. I think we’re doing all right.

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