February started with my car t-boned by a driver who ran a red light.
A few days later one of my closest friends died, and a much-loved cousin a few days after that.
I returned from my cousin’s funeral to find my mother’s nursing home locked down due to Coronavirus, and spent the next few months relying on reports of her condition from Hospice nurses.
I lost more friends and family members in the ensuing months, as we all learned to live with loss, scarcity and funerals attended through social media.
Yet blessings abounded.
Church services went electronic, our church Book Club continued to meet via Zoom, my husband became a master at finding safe outdoor activities so we could have family time outside the confines of our house, and I was able to visit my mother for a while before restrictions tightened again.
The continued sharing of love and fellowship, though in modified form, buoyed my spirits and strengthened my faith; and I discovered that, even in the midst of grief, a deadly pandemic and unprecedented social, economic and government upheaval, there is still much to be thankful for.
This knowledge alone is but one more reason to give God thanks.
