"Shop the walls first!"

I used to be able to keep track of life. COVID changed that. The past two years feel like a time warp. Like we lost two years or experienced those two years in a parallel universe. How many times have I used the phrase "pre-COVID" in my normal conversation? "When did that happen?" "I don't know...sometime pre-COVID." 

I don't mean to imply that the virus is gone. Many are still testing positive every day. But not nearly so many are dying, and whether that is because as the virus mutates, it loses strength or because science blessed us with effective vaccines that provide at least some protection against the new variants, I don't know. I'm just so grateful.

One clear consequence of this wretched virus is that many of us missed seeing our extended families for way too long. This is true for both Gerald and me. Neither of us saw our original family for over three years. That changed for Gerald two weeks ago, when we traveled to Everett, Washington to visit his mom, sister, and brother. Here are the four of them:

It was a short trip, just two days. Gerald's nonagenarian mom, Violet, enjoys walking as much as I do. We took several walks around her condo and then down on the waterfront. The weather was nearly perfect the first day and absolutely perfect the second when the rain I ordered finally arrived. I'm hoping my 25-year dedicated walking regimen serves me as well as it has Violet when I'm her age.

That second day we also got to visit Gerald's brother and sister-in-law, Glenn and Monica, at their home, where Monica's incredible artwork lines the walls. "Shop the walls first," she suggested, as she generously let me choose several pieces to bring home to add to the two others she already gave me. I think there's a name for this art form, and I think someone even said it while we were there, but I can't remember what it is. Anyway, I LOVE it, and this time I got to share it with Shulamith. Here is her daughter, Kennedy, with the piece she chose for her room:

Here are the two I kept for myself, one for the entryway to our home and the other for my half bath:

COVID changed our lives so much. Some of those changes were positive, as we learned to find joy at home and as we grew to recognize all the "fluff" we could live without. Ironically, it brought us together in many ways, while it separated us physically. But it also left many grieving for lost loved ones and fearful for the future. I didn't lose anyone close to me, but a friend of mine lost her beloved father. It's critical that "post-COVID" (if that time ever comes), we don't forgot the relentless spread of this virus; its random, unpredictable effects (You may have no symptoms at all, but you may die); and the millions who are left grieving.

I'm thankful life is "normal" enough that we were able to visit Gerald's family.