I was rereading a blog that I wrote in March, 2020, just as the pandemic was revving up. So much of our lives changed overnight when the pandemic struck – from the small routines like stopping for coffee or grocery shopping, to life events like weddings and funerals. Each night, local and national news were a mixture of statistical horrors, with staggering numbers and updates on where the disease is hitting hardest, how people were coping, what we should know. We were exhausted, feeling helpless, and emotionally drained.
One of the earliest victims for me was a dear friend that had run a music company that rented musical instruments to students and supplied the school district with everything from repairs to clarinet reeds. I’d known him, and worked with him for 20 years, and he was one of the nicest, most generous people I’d ever met. He had been in a rehab facility, and as typically happened, COVID spread through those like a western wildfire. Nobody in his circle of friends and business associates even knew until weeks after. His business was recently sold, and the new owner has retained the name and much of the business. And in a small bright spot, the company will honor his memory with two college scholarships for students going on in music education. There’s a smile on my face just thinking about it. Few of us were untouched by the pandemic’s force. Most of us knew someone lost to it, although, thankfully, medical science has come to our rescue. Several friends have recently suffered through COVID infections, but because of vaccines and treatments, it’s no longer the death sentence it was three years ago.
There was a lady interviewed on the local news last night. She’s a doctor, an immigrant originally from Haiti, working with recently arrived immigrants to help provide for them – food, clothing, and a respectable place to live until they can get work visas and become self-sufficient. What a wonder mission and vision. There is someone I’d nominate for an award. Or I could win the lottery and send her organization a large check. (I hope the lottery gods are listening!)
I still wear a mask going into a public place – the supermarket, the hardware store, or any assortment of discount stores, what my daughter calls my “happy places”. It’s a habit, and one that I don’t mind. If it helps us avoid even a bout of flu or a cold, it’s worth it. So far, so good. Of course, those wearing MAGA caps look at me with distain, but that’s ok. An older lady behind me in the checkout line the other day thanked me for wearing a mask. She and I were the only two that I could see, so there was a certain solidarity. We two are bucking the trend, but, again, peace of mind.
On the happy side of much we had to endure, it is pleasing to see how many businesses survived the pandemic. Kudos to those restauranteurs that switched to charitable acts, providing meals to the homeless, those that couldn’t get out, and those that simply couldn’t afford to feed themselves and their families. Despite the sickness and death, the pandemic in many ways drew us together. Now, sadly, we beginning to split apart again. Some of it is ideological, some political, and much of it simply dissatisfaction. We’re back, and we want a full restoration of the prosperity we had before, or that we imagine we had before. There are some that we could call “Profiles in Weakness” – people that took advantage of the crisis. One has been in the paper recently as having created a host of fictious businesses to collect grants through a federal payroll protection program. And the hospital chain, in financial distress because the CEO and directors, to all accounts, have perpetrated a complex series of real estate maneuvers that have left the hospitals in trouble and in danger of closing. This while the CEO has been pictured on his $40 million yacht and $15 million fishing boat. Those are “Profiles in Greed”.
Members of the British Royal Family have become activists for positive change. Through the Royal Foundation, founded by the Prince and Princess of Wales, spotlights have been turned on, and funding channeled to such issues as protection of the environment, disrupting the trade in exotic animals, and the stigma of mental health. The Princess has led issues related to early childhood development, and homelessness. Prince Harry has led efforts to help and support wounded soldiers. There is a sense of “giving back” in the new generation of royals, who are using their status to inspire and make us aware of society’s problems.
Finally, I’d like to close with yet another highlight to those Americans, whose efforts have changed dramatically, and are responding to the challenge. They are truly what John F. Kennedy called “Profiles in Courage”. These are the folks in the military, preparing to fight but also to help. To be deployed at the border. To our cities and towns in times of need. To evacuate flood victims, or assist with violent storms. We all remember images and stories of armies in past centuries. As they fought and conquered, they also took advantage by taking what bounty they could, leaving behind decimated populations. That changed dramatically in the 20th century, to the point where we now see soldiers helping to treat the injured, digging survivors out of collapsed buildings, rescuing prisoners, encouraging children. They’re responding in ways that they probably could never have imagined, stretched well beyond what their training. It’s a new generation of military. There is a sense of compassion in those overseas protecting shipping lanes or guarding the borders. These folks are in our thoughts and prayers daily as they persevere and carry on with the work of protecting us.
Thank you, all.
I'm Thinking...No! 