Unsolicited Covid Opinions - In Person Learning

I'm not going to apologize for sending my son to school. 

He stayed home for nearly 18 months. At the end of first grade he got top of his class and a perfect attendance award. He was eager to go to school. By now we have spoken about Covid often enough that he knows he needs to protect himself. 

Look, I understand that he can get sick, and I worry about my young daughter getting sick. But I am trying to have him change masks, wash his hands, use hand sanitizer and shower when he gets home. We are vaccinated. He's getting Covid tests weekly. We are doing our part, and the school is too. They were open during the last trimester of my son's first grade year. We declined our son going to school, then. We were not vaccinated. 

In the midst of surge in cases, I wrestled with second thoughts, even the day before classes began I was nervous and wanted to pull the plug. The plan is to give it two weeks and if everyone feels well and there are no cases, he can continue going to school. 

Related to all that, yesterday I received a text message that upset me. This person wrote LOL (laugh out loud) after I wrote them in a text message much of what I wrote above. 

And in the same text writes, Hope Jazzy doesn't get sick. 

Thanks, for the well wishes? He says he misses the kids, and wants to spend time with them, but then acts like an immature person when he's in his 30's! 

Like, why the LOL?

I told him he was laughing at my kids. Did he think it would be funny if my children became sick?  He says, "It's not that serious, I'm just being 'funny'." Really? I told him to shove his LOL where it don't shine. He doesn't have time for me he reply's, good, It's mutual. 

I heard a sweet soul say last night that if you ignore you're bodies messages, the primal tingles, and feelings you get when you know things don't feel right, you may get other messages that are more in your face. More evident. This interaction was a big let down for me. This person has lacked empathy for years. Deflects from himself when things don't go how he'd like. I have made effort to give advice. And to push past bad feeling between us. But he needs to become more aware of his words, his behavior. 

Thanks for sticking with me. 

Suzy

My dear cousin has been memorialized today. She was taken by Covid, much too soon. 

She leaves a 6 year old daughter and a loving husband waiting to see her beautiful smile again. 

She was an angel on Earth. 

Kind. 

Beautiful.

Gentle.

May you rest in heaven, may you be with God. 

Love you, always, Suzy.

Funeral viewings, heartache and Covid

December and January have been difficult months. I have lost loved ones to Covid during the year 2020, and sadly 2021 has been just as devastating. It has taken time to process my emotions and find resolution in the injustice of their deaths. 

Last night I went to my uncles viewing.  I grieved so heavily. I cried for everyone that has died, in my life, from Covid. The sadness in the room was stifling. Hearing others cry, listening to others cry because you cry. 

Sometimes we make the shittiest of choices in life. We choose to be rude, or just not speak to others. Perhaps towards a sibling you may find annoying. Or towards a family member. When someone passes we tend to go back to how we treated them. May find it hard to say a final goodbye, perhaps because time was squandered when we were living. 

Being human can be a beautiful experience, but our passing, especially during this Covid time, is heartbreakingly unfair. Time is taken from our grasps, so cruelly, so quickly, it stuns you, days follow with that same feeling of loss, until you start to feel better, and then...

...

Three weeks after my uncle died, my cousin Suzy also died of Covid. She was young, beautiful, kind and sweet. Her and I spoke last over 6 years ago. Made a promise to reconnect and never did. I regret not calling. I had not spoken to Suzy's brother for well over 10 years. Back then things were said and I hardly ever forget. I called him days after Suzy's passing. I had to tell HIM how much I loved her, how much of an angel I thought she was. 

...

If you can, make the effort to reach out to friends and family. Spread a little love. It's sad to say, but you just never know what can happen tomorrow. We don’t know who is suffering in silence today, be it Covid, another sickness or mental health issues. 

Stay healthy and safe,

With love & respect,

Kathy