I hugged my family today
That’s right, I hugged my family today. We ventured out into the world and broke all quarantine rules by gathering with our family. Ya see, for the past 8 weeks it has been just me, my husband and our two daughters. Of course I work in an office one day a week and from home the other days. My husband also works from home while homeschooling our children. But basically work, grocery store, and home has been our only contact with others. My children have been home.
It has literally been the most exhausting month for us. We always start the day and week strong but with such a small circle… it has become exhausting. Even my three year old has started to be sad about “a virus” ruining her plans of preschool. She talks about her teacher and friends daily. We’ve been on an emotional roller coaster as my seven year old realizes that she doesn’t get to see her cousins or play with her friends at church or school.
I miss my family
The majority of our extended family work in the medical field, which means for the past two months they have all kept a safe distance. While I am forever thankful for their hard work and services during this time, I miss my family. Soooo we broke the all the rules. We said to heck with six feet apart. We drove to the country, we took off our shoes, we felt the grass between our toes and we all exhaled a sigh of relief. We hugged, we embraced, and we cried.
In case you didn’t know, this past year was the hardest year for our family. Our family has been through more pain and suffering in one year than some people go through in a lifetime. A year ago I tragically and unexpectedly lost my mother. Within three months my uncle took his own life. Within six month my father in law won his long battle with cancer by entering heaven’s gates. So yeah, we had high hopes that 2020 would be a much better year for us all. Our two daughters have officially attended more funerals in this past year than I did all my years growing up.
While this past year has been so difficult, I have learned the most valuable lesson…. Family is forever. We have a piece of art hanging on our wall that says that exact thing. It speaks volumes to me during times like these. So the past year we’ve all been through some crazy, deep valleys, but we have all gone through them together. However, this past month… we’ve waded in the waters of grief alone. It’s not fair, it’s not okay, and so…. we broke the rules.
We broke the rules
We broke out of quarantine like a bunch of caged birds experiencing freedom for the first time. We hugged, we embraced, we laughed, we cried, and it all felt like home. There are many things that this virus will take from people. It will take their jobs, their money, their sense of security, but I will be for darn sure that it will not take my joy. While we are smart and we didn’t share drinks or kisses and no one in our small circle has actively worked or been around any positive patients, we still refuse to let this virus take our joy.
The saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder is 100% accurate. If there is anything at all that I pray my children learn from this experience, I hope it is gratitude. So we gratefully gathered with one another and enjoyed all the moments and memories that will forever be engraved in our memory, because today… I hugged my family.
