My COVID-19 Triple Play

 

Mood: Cautiously Optimistic
Music: Earth, Wind, & Fire Keep Your Head To The Sky

I feel as though I’ve had the COVID-19 TRIPLE PLAY. I’ve had three significant experiences during this pandemic each presenting their own unique challenges.

The 1^st experience was my in-laws who live in Charlotte, NC passed away in July of 2020. My 86 year old mother-in-law passed away July 1^st & then 17 days later my 90 year old father-in-law passed away on July 18^th. I flew my wife down when her mother went on life support & she made it down in time to spend three days with her mom before she passed away. I then drove the rest of the family down so we could attend the funeral, cause we didn’t want to fly during this time.

Upon returning home we had to go into the 14 day quarantine protocol. Just as we were coming out of that was when my father-in-law passed away. On top of failing health I believe he passed away from a broken heart as he COULD NOT fathom being without his bride of 66 years & mother to his twelve children by his side.

Nine of the twelve children live in North Carolina, the other three live in NJ. The hard decision was made for the Jersey family to attend his funeral via Zoom as my father-in-law was a military vet who fought in the Korean War & DID NOT want any pomp & circumstance just a simple closed-casket military styled funeral.

The 2^nd experience had my daughter after pushing her wedding date back several times deciding the weekend before Labor Day 2020 was the day. We went up to Mountain Creek in Vernon (the old Action Park) & had the COVID-19 wedding experience. The resort staff was awesome as they had this thing all figured out. It was an outdoor wedding on top of the mountain on the most perfect day imaginable.

We had VIP access to the lift; we had our own private space on top of the mountain with spectacular views where NJ, NY, & PA come together for the ceremony. After the ceremony we returned back down below to the reception in a huge outdoor tent behind the resort.

This MAY NOT have been the ideal wedding my daughter envisioned, but the pandemic forced some hard decisions. It’s already difficult to put together a wedding guest list & now with pandemic capacity restrictions the ticket to this event was like winning the Powerball Lottery. On a side note, as the father of the bride I was slightly happy as that meant the costs were significantly less than a traditional wedding, so I floated them extra Las Vegas honeymoon money!!! PHEWWW!!!

The 3^rd experience was this year March 24^th, 2021 my daughter gave birth to my 2^nd grandchild. As human beings we go crazy over events like this. However with the pandemic still not fully under control, I was trying to wait for my vaccination on March 31^st before making plans to see her. My stubborn, head-strong, (feeling some type of way) daughter was not having it & brought my granddaughter Naomi to the house Monday March 29^th to meet her Pop-Pop face-to-face!!!

We had to mask up, sanitize the hands, & open our hearts up to this newest bundle of joy in our lives. These three events happening during this COVID-19 pandemic gave me three take-a-ways of how you continue to live life in spite of difficult challenges you face.

#1 My in-laws DID NOT pass away from COVID-19 so we take comfort in knowing they lived a fruitful & blessed life, so why can’t we do the same during this time?

#2 None of the seven people in my continual orbit have contracted COVID-19 since it started March of 2020 so we must be doing something right as we practice all the safety protocols of mask wearing, hygiene, & social distancing even as we’ve continued to work & socialize under restrictions.

#3 The most important thing this pandemic makes you realize is what is truly important in your life. That is those who you love, those who love you, gainful employment, the ability to sustain yourself against all odds, being healthy, & trying to maintain your sanity in spite of what seems like a world gone KRAZY!!!

Warm weather is arriving, the vaccine is here, as are solutions for eradicating the most disruptive thing we’ve seen in our lifetime. In the meantime stay focused on what you can control & don’t be afraid to safely step outside to live just a little bit more each & every day, YOU ARE SO WORTH IT!!!  

If Only America Would Allow All Of Us "A Promised Land"!!!

 

Music: Reverend Barry & The Funk
CD: A Thousand Lives We've Lived
Song: LoveShine
Mood: Hopeful In Spite Of Economic, Political, Racial, & Pandemic Stress

I recently completed reading President Barack Obama's latest book "A Promised Land" & I found it fascinating. I posted this review on my Good Reads page & decided I would like to share it here too.

Whether you cared for his politics or not, there is no disputing that former President Barack Obama is a highly intelligent & motivated man. When you frame his presidency with the weight of expectation of being the first Black American to ascend to the highest office of the land it's almost to outrageous to conceive it.

Add in the fact that he had members of the opposing party who made it their singular mission to disrupt or derail anything that he tried to accomplish during a time when the country was on the precipice of economic collapse made the challenges insurmountable.

To hear President Barack explain in his own words his thought process, his decision making, & the people he surrounded himself with as he navigated one of the quickest rises from an unknown Illinois Senator to the President of the United States is revolutionary.

You DO NOT have to like the man, but you do have to respect his journey and what he accomplished in the face of blatant disrespect amidst global turmoil for the highest ideals of American democracy.

He's an oratory gift as the words leap of the pages placing you squarely in the room with him. It's a long 700 page read, so you must get comfortable & commit yourself to absorbing quite a lot. It ends with a proverbial bang, so you must hang on all the way through.

I've gained a new found respect for this man, his family, those who supported him, his enemies (American & foreign), & the grace/class/skill he utilized to navigate these murky waters. He will go down in history as a first, but he needs to also go down in history as a intelligent man who beat the odds under incredible duress.

The Bro J!!!