2020, the year that...

It began so innocently. I was the new President of my art glass guild, NCAGG, applying to art fairs, taking stock from lessons learned in 2019 and where I needed to steer my business in order to reach my goals. The first quarter of each year is time spent developing new designs, catching up on photography, uploading new work to my website, programming social media for weeks to come, and planning my year. Little did I know that those seemingly innocuous reports about a virus in China were going to change the world, and my life in one significant way, permanently.

I spent two weeks at my sister’s home in Washington state so she could take a break from the eldercare of our father who suffered from dementia. I was thrilled to spend quality time with him, and have some time for myself as well, while she relaxed in the Caribbean. I was able to visit him every day at his memory care facility and check him out for trips and many dinners at my sister’s home. Little did I know how special that time would be and how I would come to cherish it, nor how soon.

Back at the homestead, things got back to normal, for a time. My husband and I had winter colds and the news was ramping up about the virus. We didn’t yet understand the tsunami that was coming and that no country was immune from its wrath. Rumors of countries quarantining felt otherworldly and not personal - yet. But soon, certain US leaders decided that going into lockdown as early as mid-March was a public health necessity. Maryland was an early adopter and the city next door, Rockville, had an early outbreak, putting us in the thick of the virus from the beginning of the US contagion.

I am still surprised by how calm I felt/still feel in the safety and quiet of my home with my dogs and husband. I was worried about food shortages so I planted a vegetable garden in the spring, just in case. I learned that lettuce is tasty and easy but growing tomatoes is a part-time job. Gardening helped me stay grounded.

We were able to get by and, at times, thrive but the year brought loss as well. We lost our beloved older dog, Annie to old age. We realized how lucky we were to have her gentle, loving spirit with us for 15 years. We heard much news about, not only loved ones contracting the virus but of friends who lost loved ones. This was very real, very serious, and terrifyingly close to home.

The art shows I had scheduled were canceled one by one and the future of so much and so many were at stake. I still feel blessed that we were able to pay our bills, eat, and stay healthy as we communicated with family, friends, neighbors, and watched the news each day, horrified. My worries were nothing compared to simple survival, which so many faced, and still do.

By late summer several states, including Washington, began to reopen in phases. I was, once again, able to visit my father and this time my sister and her husband. My husband and I reveled in life outside our home with hiking and time spent with family. The caution we used all year paid off in a safe visit - my last with my loving and sweet father, it turned out.

Dad caught COVID from a fellow resident several months after our visit and died eight days after testing positive. Having a DNR on record allowed him to die, without going to a hospital, as peacefully as one can while suffocating as a result of this indiscriminate and awful disease. My sister was allowed to suit up and hold his hand which gave the family much solace paralleled with the devastation we felt. My father was 88 years old. We will have a memorial service when it is safe to congregate once again.

We are only one family but we lost one family member and count six others who contracted and survived COVID, as of this writing. This blog is supposed to articulate about and support my jewelry business but 2020 was about surviving, literally, taking stock of what is truly important, slowing down, and remembering that we are all part of the global community, each affecting the other.

I will continue to count my blessings, follow scientific guidelines, and help my neighbors, be it via charitable contributions, donating to food banks, or simply being kind, each and every day.

Stay healthy, stay safe and I look forward to the inevitable hug-fest, sure to come at the end of this.