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Luckylu,

What a beautiful poem! Thanks so much for sharing this. 💗
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This poem was written by Kathleen O'Mara in 1869 and then it was reprinted during the Spanish Flu Pandemic in 1919.
It's on my mind~


And people stayed home
And read books
And they rested
And did exercises
And made art and played
And learned new ways of being
And stopped and listened
More deeply.
Someone meditated,someone prayed
Someone saw their shadow
And people began to think differently
And people healed
And in the absence of people who
Lived in ignorant ways
Dangerous,meaningless,heartless,
The earth also began to heal
And when the danger ended and
People found themselves
They grieved for the dead
And made new choices
And dreamed of new visions
And created new ways of living
And completely healed the earth
Just as they were healed
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When I was out getting my 10,000 steps today I saw the parking lot of my little grocery was empty so I veered in and grabbed a few little things that would be easy to carry home - bananas, celery, asparagus, naan, popcorn, and a bag of sugar (heavy yes, but it was on sale!), I'll need to take my car when I decide to go out to get milk, eggs, yogurt, maybe a bag of oranges and anything else I'm running low on. I'm trying to walk the line between total denial (my BIL) and out of control paranoia, I did wash most of my groceries when I got home but how in the world would I sanitize asparagus spears? And I refuse to disinfect my shoes, it's gotta be enough to take them off at the door - it's not like I'm wandering through the ER or live in a hot spot.
A sign that these restrictions are starting to chafe is that I find myself rebelling in petty little ways - I crossed on a red light at the totally deserted intersection 🤣
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My husband made it back from New Orleans. Fourteen day quarantine then retested. I visited my mom and dad thru the window last night at assisted living. My brother and both of my sons had visited yesterday. So, far so,good. I stopped by their house ‘to check on things. I’m selfish. I want them back living there and healthy. But I know it’s not going to happen. My oldest son is getting married in June. He and his fiancé are finishing law school. They are buying the house. So I’m getting it cleaned out. Sixty seven years of stuff. They’re not hoarders, but they have lots of stuff. I finally lured my mom’s cat out with treats and brought it to my house. She’s old, almost blind and has arthritis. I heated her bed with a heating pad. Took it out and put her in. She seemed to enjoy the added warmth.
..
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Bridger
Hugs to you and your sweet parents. I’m glad your DH is coming home. That will help.
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My husband went from ER in WV to New Orleans because of doctor shortages. He’s coming home. He turned in his retirement papers and is coming home. I’m glad. I didn’t want him working in a hot spot. He has a cardiac problem and I don’t want him kin a hot spot. He’s spent all his career going to different disasters. It’s time for him to stay home.

I sat on the porch with my parents this evening. They’re getting settled. They know several people who live there. Mom likes having breakfast in her room. Dad likes their music hour. He likes to sing. He sang in the church choir for years. I think they’re handling things better than me.
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I went by theAL this evening. TLked to them thru the window.They were satisfied with dinner. No complaints. My husband is the nursing home physician. He had done their check in exams. They thought that was funny because they had seen him at breakfast. Dad had been reading and mom knitting. SAme as they would have been doing at home.

My husband got asked to work some evening shifts at the local ER. So he’s at the ER until midnight. He took his own gear in case the hospital was running short. Left me with instructions to wear a mask to the assisted living or anywhere else
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cwille,

Crazy. I agree, it isn’t a good idea. Just stay home.
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I just heard that my BIL was out and about again today. WTF😖
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So sorry, Bridger. This is hard. Very hard. I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.
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I placed both of my parents in assisted living today. They did really well and were totally cooperative. I was a basket case. Cried like a baby. I wanted them at home, but it wasn’t possible. They both need too much help.
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Please take a moment and send all students good thoughts as the finish out their school year online. This is my daughter’s final year at LSU! It’s a big switch in their normal routine.
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testing
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Testing
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I tried to post this twice, once as a discussion and once as a question, and both times I was kicked off the site🤔 I read a very good article I'd like to share

'If she never remembered me again': Loving someone with dementia
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/remembered-loving-dementia-200115113735588.html
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I keep waffling on posting this but I really need to get it off my chest - I have zero confidence in the ability of nursing and retirement homes to keep the people who live there safe, at least not in my province. Previous pressure points in the system are starting to show. Too many people still aren't taking this seriously enough, for that most vulnerable population partial compliance (even if it is 90%, and I don't think it is nearly that high) just isn't good enough.
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I have a mourning dove cooing and pecking at my window - sorry buddy, I know it's raining but you can't come in!
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Llama,

Your brother is right. Life is cyclical. We tend to put it behind us in order to function and move forward but are reminded of the past when the pattern is repeated.
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NeedHelpWithMom: Me, too! This is the stuff of nightmares and then when you start your day, you cannot believe that we're seeing this virus.

My brother was mentioning the 1918 pandemic. How bad it was.

Funny story is my husband does not like the dishwasher. That is funny that your's has a certain way to load it.
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Llama,

I did not see this coming! Ahhh, I have some really bizarre dreams. This is the stuff of nightmares! This tops any sci-fi book I have read or sci-fi movie I have watched. Dreams only last a few moments. This crap has been going on too long, right?

Guess we have to make the best of it. It’s been interesting having my husband around all the time! Good thing I really love him! LOL

Well, I am blessed that I married a great guy. We’re a team. The only thing that we have never agreed on is the way the dishwasher is loaded. Geeeeeez! He is anal about it! Hahaha, hey that’s a small thing, right?
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Who saw this Novel Coronavirus coming? Praying for everyone here on AC. Gershun: You're right about it affecting mood/anxiety.
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Can we turn off this bad COVID19 "Movie"? No, because this is not a movie. Humor can still be used, even in these difficult times. Not in person, but by internet and phone. We the people are all in this boat together. I suppose we all, or at least most of us, will eventually ride out of it.
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My Mom passed in November 2014 at age 95. Last November would have made her 100! I pray for her in Heaven!
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And pray for those too poor to have internet access, or slow have only access at best. Congress should share more of their wasted funds to help us connect better!!
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I’ve been responsible for my mom and dad for a few years. Their health has deteriorated. Especially over the last 6 months. I’m on the brink of having to place them in the nursing home. I’ve found a nice place in our town and they can both go there. It’s a hard decision to make. Neither of them are totally opposed, but they will miss their home. They’ve lived there since their marriage 67 years ago. My brother agrees it’s time. They have money to pay for their care for several years. I’m wondering if they will decline faster in the nursing home. My brother and I both live within 3 miles so we can visit frequently and there are other family and close friends close by. We get along well and share POA, etc. They are both mid. 90’s.
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When I saw the virus spreading from China, then South Korea, Iran and Europe, how easily people were being infected, I immediately thought of the Spanish Flu. A pandemic.

And as I saw how countries started shutting down everything, I immediately thought of the Great Depression... Funny, I, too, seem more concerned about my livelihood and not so much about my health issues. Is this because I’m considered the ‘breadwinner’ in this household? And is more concerned on how I’m going to pay the house insurance, the land tax, the utilities, if the plumbing breaks down, my no-more health insurance status, etc....

Riverdale, you’re not alone. I so very sincerely hope we will not be going through a Great Depression II. BUT!!! We still have the Internet! We can reach out across the pond (several ponds) and share our thoughts, fears, encouragements, knowledge and laughter.... I truly did wake up this morning being grateful that we still have power and internet.
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This new present reality is so different. A storm can be awful but the process works to a better day. The terrorist attacks could bring people together. Now we are to distance and isolate. If one finds solace in religion that now has to be online. I imagine this to perhaps be similar to wartime although I realize we can't compare to horrors of that. It also has been so long that the world lived through that. The concerns we started to feel a couple of weeks ago are almost moot today. There is very little chance of getting in to see a doctor unless it is an emergency. We are all suffering and although there will be an end it is almost impossible to know when that will be. I find I somehow feel less concern with becoming sick than the worry I feel for the economy that is and will continue to affect the livelihood of the world. It feels as though we are in a state of nothingness although I realize that is not at all the case with those dealing with the afflicted. I imagine many there must feel as though this situation is endless. It is all just a revolving door of unbearable sadness that leaves so many of us feeling rendered helpless.
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Yeah, Gershun

It does make us feel like we are in a twilight zone existence. Unnerving and sometimes depressing too.
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I live in British Columbia NHWM. It's spreading here. Not as rapidly as some but it is still climbing. Everything is shut down. Stores in downtown Vancouver are boarding up because of looting. Grocery stores overrun, schools closed. The same as the rest of the world.

I suffer from depression/anxiety and it's gotten worse since this started. But I don't want to focus on myself cause it's not about me. Just trying to look ahead to when things get back to normal whatever normal is.
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Gershun,

A psychiatrist was on a PBS show that I was watching earlier. He says that we are grieving and we have to acknowledge and accept that it is grief. Loss of life, loss of work for some, loss of school for others, loss of socialization, loss of freedom to shop everywhere, etc.

Then he said that he lost a son a few years ago and even as a psychiatrist he had no idea how painful grief was until he grieved personally. I loved his transparency. He was so honest about his feelings.

He said it was a grief similar to 911 or a natural disaster but we felt that there would be a closure one day to that situation but with this situation people are grieving differently because we don’t know exactly when this virus will stop spreading. Interesting thoughts on the topic, isn’t it? There is loss of life in all of these tragedies.

And what about sudden death? I think that is super hard. My friend who kissed her husband goodbye one morning. He had a heart attack while driving home and died. He was not even sick. No heart trouble. He wasn’t overweight. He wasn’t old. He was in his 40’s. That type of shock is awful! His widow was in shock for a long time afterwards.

I agree. with him saying we saw and felt the ‘calm after the storm’ and we saw the ‘explosions and fire’ go away after 911 or another fire. Still, some deal with PTSD afterwards in all of these situations.

Regardless, it was interesting commentary on feelings. I do agree that we must grieve because he said if we suppress our feelings we will do more harm in the long run.

The psychiatrist said that we all grieve differently and some grieve for a lifetime. I have seen people who never stop grieving for their spouse. Hard to see because I want healing for them.

The Today Show had a ‘life coach’ on. He said that we must live in the present and not the past or future. He was promoting meditation exercises to do just that.

How is your area? It’s spreading rapidly here.
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