2020 was a tough year for all of us. With the pandemic 2020 and 2021 were a dumpster fire for many!
My mom died just before the pandemic began. I relished being home and working through my grief.
I enjoyed the beginning of the pandemic. I was someplace beautiful. I could get outside. I enjoyed not having to go anywhere. I worked through my fabric stash finishing up projects, making masks and seeing what I could create without having to order from the fabric store. My daughter showed up with baby in tow since they already had tickets to Orlando for a business trip that got cancelled. I finally had to send her home since she was pregnant and the midwife had to have a certain number of prenatal visits before she could legally deliver the new baby.
Over the summer it became apparent that my dad did not need to live alone in a house anymore. He was great for a 90 year old, but small things were becoming a concern. y husband took a hiatus from work and we moved in with dad in September of 2020. We had a wonderful fall with him. My dad and I always got along famously and truly enjoyed each other's company. We were isolated, but I was so grateful that he was not alone. My brother lived next door, but was out in public, so we weren't comfortable with too much exposure as Covid was burning through our area. In January, Dad began a sudden and steep decline. He passed away in early May. It was the hardest 4 months of my life and my husband's life. Yet, I was still deeply grateful that I could fulfill my wish and never have one of my parent's go to a nursing home. We could not have cared for him without help from my sister and paid caregivers who stayed overnight so we could sleep.
After the darkness comes joy. My daughter proposed that we live together. My response was that would be great except no part of me wanted to live in Phoenix, Arizona! I was there for a month in August of 2020 for birth of baby number 2. The short version of the story is that we ended up buying property together in Spartanburg, South Carolina! We have 11 acres, 2 houses, a barn, chicken coop with chickens and an artist cottage my son in law uses for his office as he works mostly remote. Two of my grandchildren are just a quick walk through the garden away and I see them every day.
I miss my parents and extended family, but life moves on. I am blessed beyond measure for our current living arrangements.
