COVID Can't Separate Family for Long!

LOVING ME SOME MILES FAMILY!

Giving thanks this morning for FAMILY! Just sitting here thinking how blessed I am for having my family. Yesterday, there was a parade of blessings through my house -- children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
There was laughter in almost every room. That means there was somebody in almost every room.

The slot machine was going. The televisions were going. Folks were helping to go through and separate the coats, the incentives, the PPEs, and making sure that equal amounts were given to each school. Activities were being done, and of course, folks were getting on other folks' nerves. LOL, but oh, what a wonderful sound in my house.

Separation from family and friends is hard, especially during these times. Aging is continuing to happen, and our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren continue to grow up. We are missing out on some of their milestones, and yes, the memories.

Yesterday, as I watched the interactions of the family members, I knew that we were having just a glimpse at what we had three years ago -- breakfast, lunch, or dinner together. Hookups at the IHOP, cookouts in the back yard, movie time, or whatever else we could get into.

Yes, we wore our masks -- enough of us have had COVID to know the importance of protecting each other and ourselves. Yes, we used the bathroom a lot to wash our hands, and to the extent possible, we socially distanced ourselves. It was difficult to not sit around hugging and kissing and touching, but we managed it and also managed to enjoy our time together.

Cousin Keith D. Owes from New Jersey did not make it over because of his schedule, but his name was mentioned. Today, I learned that he was so busy at Catholic University that they did not make it back to Jersey until late.
All and all, it was a great day, and I am thankful to have seen so many of my family members at one time.

Years ago, I asked myself, why do I work, why be bothered with all of the headaches, etc., and yesterday, I was again reminded of my answer from way back then -- family, MY FAMILY! I love all of you, and COVID will not stop the love or our reason for being family.

Stay safe by doing everything you can to protect yourselves, your children, grandchildren, and those around you, and when you can, stay home. KNOW your circle of friends so that you can limit your exposure to this virus. Folks that won't wear their masks or wear them under their nose or chin might need to be avoided. Folks acting like dirt dabbers (go everywhere, anytime, all of the time for no reason except to be out and about) should be avoided like the plague. They are not practicing being safe at this time and could be dangerous for you and yours.

People have rights, and they should exercise them, but when their rights compromise or infringe on my rights, we have a problem that must be rectified.

FAMILY, be careful out there, and let's stay in touch as we have the past twenty-plus months, but let's never stop safely seeing each other on occasion. We already know why we work, why we venture out, and why we do the things we do, so never ever lose focus on that -- IT'S FAMILY!

Peace and blessings to you and yours always!