ISOLATION

DIFFICULT TIMES. DIFFICULT CHOICES.

MANY OF US ARE STARTING TO FEEL THAT EIGHT MONTHS OF ISOLATION IS TOO HARD. WE ARE ‘OVER’ IT AND JUST WANT TO GET BACK TO NORMAL.

OUR NUMBERS FOR THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS HAVE SPIKED ACROSS MUCH OF CANADA INCLUDING MY OWN PROVINCE OF ALBERTA AND CITY OF EDMONTON. SO WE’RE NOT DONE YET. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

TODAY, I AM ABOUT TO VENTURE OUR QUITE A BIT : TO CHURCH, TO BREAKFAST AT OUR FAVOURITE PLACE,’HAP’S’,AND FOR THE FIRST TIME TO A FRIEND’S HOME….IN HER HOME.

AND YET THINGS ARE NOT THE SAME IN ANY WAY.

IT TOOK MONTHS FOR OUR CHURCHES TO REOPEN AND IT TOOK MONTHS FOR ME TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO RETURN. AND STILL IT MAKES ME SAD TO SEE THE CHURCH ROPED OFF FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKS EVERYWHERE I LOOK. THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY IS SOMEWHAT LOST.

WE GO TO OUR LITTLE RESTAURANT ONCE A WEEK NOW IN THE MORNING WHEN NO ONE IS THERE. IN THE PAST, YOU COULDN’T FIND A TIME OF DAY WHEN THE PLACE WASN’T JUST HOPPING AND A LINE UP OUTSIDE.

AND FOR MY VISIT WITH MY FRIEND, CATHY,TODAY WE WILL WEAR MASKS AND SIT APART. IT CAN BREAK MY HEART TO THINK ABOUT OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT OUR ENTIRE FAMILY HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME ….SO I TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT.

I WILL THINK ABOUT THE ‘POSTER’ I FOUND (UP ABOVE). SOMEDAY WE WILL GATHER AGAIN AND WE WILL ACTUALLY HUG…NOT A VIRTUAL HUG, NOT AN ELBOW BUMP, BUT A REAL HUG! AND WE WILL HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC. IT MIGHT BE OUR NEW NORMAL TO HAVE FOREVER CHANGES. BUT MY HOPE IS THAT NO ONE IS MISSING THAT I LOVE.

PEACE FRIENDS.