What we miss

Me with my son Sam on the shore of 
Lake Ontario on Family Day 2012.
photo
Steven van Schaik © 2012

I'm posting this sweet photo of my son Sam with me tonight because I feel
like talking about what we are missing.  I see the question over and over,
"Do we really want to go back to normal life?"  My answer is yes -- with
improvements.  No I don't want the environmental destruction we've
thought of as normal.  Yes I want people to accept their differences and
work on getting along -- work on enjoying one another.

But I want my life back.  I want to be able to hug my sweet sons, my
daughter-in-law, their children, my son's girlfriend.  Yes I want that life
back.  Big time.  I have not been able to hug my son Sam, shown in this
photo, since March, 2020.  We have seen each other regularly, socially 
distanced, but he works in a store in a mall, and it's been considered
unsafe.

There is no way, after enduring a year of virtual isolation, no family
inside at Christmas -- no family dinners, no gallery openings and receptions,
no coffee with friends -- that I want to jeopardize my health, or my 
husband's health.  I have been working hard on staying safe for ten 
months now, and we will continue until this thing is finally solved.
But I miss my family and friends.

For all of us please wear a mask, social distance, stay safe, stay healthy,
and stay happy.