CHANGE HAPPENS

I’m tiptoeing in after an absence of many years. I can’t really say how much writing I will do, but I miss the community of friends that I came to know on this site.  I spent 10+ years here writing the wanderings of my mind and the hopes and dreams of my heart. I was inspired by the posts of many talented writers, and laughed, applauded and cried as they poured out their personal stories here on Open Diary.

There have been many changes in my life since I last wrote an entry here. The major one was the passing of my husband in 2016. That was followed by the deaths of three of my closest friends within one year, my daughter’s divorce, moving in with my daughter and granddaughter, and then a horrendous automobile accident that left my son with a traumatic brain injury. I relate this not to gain sympathy but to illustrate how quickly the so-called normalcy of our lives can be abruptly disrupted. I often think of the quotation, “The only thing that is constant is change.”

And here we are… In a pandemic which has literally shut down much of the world. The news updates each day with the number of cases of the Coronavirus and the number of deaths in each country. Numbers… but each number is a person. A person, who leaves behind family and friends who are grieving and feeling that loss. Loss is also felt by the millions who no longer have a steady income due to the closure of non-essential businesses. How will they feed their families, pay the rent, the utility bill, provide the necessities for day-to-day living? I’ve seen a tremendous response of kindness and generosity spring forth lately. Businesses are reinventing themselves to produce PPE products for hospitals and care facilities. Neighbors are reaching out to neighbors to ensure that individual needs are met. Employers, when possible, are allowing employees to work from home resulting in less traffic and environmental pollution. Schools are offering online courses so students can continue their education. Families are reconnecting because of shelter-in-place restrictions. Our imaginations and creativity have made it possible to still celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays, by having friends drive by a recipient’s house in brightly decorated vehicles. A monumental change has happened to all of us, and we eagerly look forward to when our lives can return to some “normalcy.” Hopefully, when that day comes, we will continue to look out for each other, support our businesses, take time to be a little more observant to the needs of others, and be thankful for each day and each breath that we are given.