I just can't get used to it: seeing people walking around with masks. Seeing signs about "social distancing." Hearing yet another event has been cancelled. Knowing that my children, who are lucky enough to have the option for face-to-face schooling, do so behind plexiglass, with masks on and a shortened school day.
It's just not normal. And it never will be. And it shouldn't be.
Because humans are social beings, meant to nurture and love and care for one another. We are meant to gather and support, celebrate and comfort. Together.
And yet, despite the grief and heartache and loss and pivoting this last year has brought, it brought so much good.
It filtered out the nonsense.
Forced us to slow down and settle in.
Strengthened and deepened relationships.
Made life simpler.
And while there was certainly hurt and hard and difficulty and loss to be had, I hope that I always remember the last year as one filled with deep connection, one where memories were made, one where we were forced to grow and change in uncomfortable ways, one where we showed up for one another.
Over the last 12 months, I would occasionally pause and take photos to remember the year that Covid struck: to honor both the beauty and despair that was experienced. While there is so much I don't want to experience again from the last year, I also don't want to forget the invaluable lessons learned and life lived. A look at some of the images captured:
This was taken the morning of March 16th. The first day of virtual school (we were told it would be two weeks. We would not return to a classroom setting until September 1st). I went for an early morning run, and I remember it just felt so eery: There was a dense fog and NO cars leaving our neighborhood for work. I felt uneasy.
These were the store shelves when I ventured to the grocery store that week. No toilet paper. No paper towels. No sanitizer.
This was the empty school parking lot on, what should have been a busy, school morning when I arrived to pick up my children's school assignments for the first phase of virtual schooling.
This is what happened next, for the remainder of the school year: Luton Elementary was in session.
This was my attempt to keep some sort of organization of daily assignments while homeschooling four children.
This is a precious picture my sweet Harrison drew while missing his buddies.
We cried and cheered as our beloved teachers paraded by, waving hello and telling their students how much they missed them (feeling was definitely mutual).
This is a photo taken on the day we were told students would absolutely not be returning to school for the remainder of the school year. This was my lowest day. I sat on my front porch, in the beautiful Spring sunshine, and just sobbed and sobbed. What you don't see under those glasses are swollen, red eyes. But as mommas do, I picked myself up, with the unending support of my hub, and put one foot in front of the other (literally, on this day: our golf course was closed down so I took my Big Three on a long walk down the cart path so we could process the news, together).
This was the emergency alert that popped up on my phone notifying us of the stay-at-home order put into place for our state.
A photo of an empty snoballs business on what should have been a long line on a hot day.
Front porch photos by professional photographers became a beautiful way to fundraise for those in need in various communities across the US.
We got quarantine creative: this was a life-sized game of "Candy Land" I created for the neighborhood kiddos on the sidewalk lining our street. :)
The flag that still remains in our yard, made by a neighbor, who created these for families in our neighborhood to bring a little encouragement during a tough time. We could choose any saying we wanted: Some chose Bible verses. Some chose funny quotes. Some chose encouraging phrases. I chose this. <3
One of my favorite sights throughout all of this: I have never seen more families outside, spending time together. For us, there were so many dinners in our backyard and so many family bike rides.
When I realized that, months after the holidays, I still hadn't changed out my front door mat, I transformed it from "Home for the Holidays" to "Home for Days." Very quarantine appropriate. ;)
Sitting outside a law firm, ready to sign legal paperwork inside our car while the attorney stood outside, distanced and masked up. So strange.
This was a way we tried to bring a little fun to our neighborhood: We created a game of "virtual tag," wherein the recipient of the sign (left on front porches throughout the neighborhood) was instructed to write an encouraging note and then "tag" another neighbor by leaving it on a different front porch
Virtual church happened for several months as we sang worship songs and took in the sermons from the comfort of our living rooms.
This is what the school hallways looked like when I returned at the end of the school year to collect my kiddos' belongings: the belongings that had been left at school, back in March, when school was suddenly and unexpectedly required to go virtual.
Temperature checks to enter business, offices, etc., became a normal occurrence.
At times, parents were not permitted into various appointments, therapies, and offices, instead waiting in our cars while our kids completed their appointments.
Virtual, livestream, garage workouts became the norm for many months.
We all got on each others' nerves from time to time quite a bit (Note cred: Harrison).
Family outings, including the return to in-person church, looked a lot like this.
Seeing mask displays, ads for masks, etc., became a common and expected sighting.
In our district, we were given the choice of having elementary students return to school face-to-face or continue virtual schooling for the 2020-21 year. We opted for the former for all four of our kiddos, who have sat behind plexiglass barriers, worn masks all day, eaten lunch in their classrooms, and done things such as rotate between various recess activities, all year.
Signs similar to this were posted everywhere, making note of the steps each business or operation was taking to keep their customers safe.
Traveling internationally required a negative Covid test result three days before departing and three days before returning. Temperature checks were also conducted at the airport before entry to the airplane was permitted.
One of the things that brought me joy during the worst of Covid were the many memes that were texted daily between family and friends. A few of my favorites:
But this. This is what I hope and pray I remember the year that the world became still: March 2020 - March 2021. Wow. What a year.
