Christmas Day Has Come and Gone

and so have we it seems

To all who read this: Joy at the end of a year, and a truce from any future problems for a while.

Next year I will be 80 years old. When my little sister was born, I was all of 13 years old. Having a new little sister, I spent some time thinking about where I would be in years when she is “now” in years. I remember the almost impossibility of being 80 years old, and that is where I lost count — until today. For the year I imagined in 1959 will be upon me this year. We celebrated the end of this year by catching Covid — for the first time. We lived, isolated in the country, and managed to stay covid free until we moved into Assisted living right after Thanksgiving. So, we now have a better understanding of what so many were experiencing during the pandemic. It was a previously unknown experience in isolation to find ourselves quarantined in a room — in the middle of a move — a downsizing — a not unexpected, but temporarily shocking re-arrangement of our lives.

We would be ashamed to complain about anything, Chris’ son and his wife have been stellar in their support and assistance. We are both alive and fairly good health. The respiratory effects of this particular disease is rough. I have a new sympathy and sorrow for so many who did not survive the initial onslaught of the pandemic when it was new. Thanks to our local indigenous tribes, we had full access to all vaccinations until the government could join in the fight. As the disease leaves us, we are both thankful that we had access to full inoculations, health care, medication, and treatments that were not available during the onset of this 100 year epidemic. That we may collectively have to re-visit medieval medications on someone’s whim, does not bode well for 2025; but that particular present will not be unwrapped just yet, and might be returned to the dust bin without being opened.

It’s evening now, the sky is dark. But as the old Psalm 30 reads: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. And so may it be for all.