Things I Miss and Gifts I’m Grateful For

Things I miss:

  • My son being able to attend school in person
  • My child being able to volunteer at the aquarium
  • Singing as part of a congregation
  • The random small conversations that happened with my neighbors at church
  • Howard having so much energy that I have to run to keep up with him, both literally and figuratively
  • Meeting with writer’s groups in person
  • Hugging friends
  • Having people over to the house without calculating infection risk
  • Interacting with people without wearing a mask

Gifts I’m glad to have:

  • A new awareness of how many hours each day has because they aren’t chopped into pieces by appointments
  • The intimacy of doing sacrament worship at home with just immediate family
  • An increased awareness of my responsibility to the communities of people who surround me, which includes a better understanding of community power dynamics and racism.
  • The new patio which became my “must have something solid to do” project
  • The time spent in a car with my son while he learns how to drive
  • Seeing how my married kids are growing together and leaning on each other rather than on parents