Newsletter #6

On a Pandemic Passing

February is a month of many family birthdays, anniversaries, and deaths. Naturally this engenders celebration and contemplation. Join me for a moment as I consider an instance of this.

Reflecting on a Pandemic Loss

This past Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of my Grandma Kay’s death. It was a surreal occasion. While I’ll reserve a later post for a fuller reflection on the wonderful woman she was, it’s important to pause to reflect on the nature of pandemic deaths.

COVID-19 wasn’t the cause of Grandma’s death. Like many elderly people, 2020-2021 signaled the typical progression of sickness and disease that most eventually succumb to, while others leave us under more tragic circumstances. What marks many of the deaths of the last two years is the prolonged periods of separation that many families endured. Many couldn’t visit their loved ones in nursing homes and hospitals, even in the final weeks of life. Many couldn’t have traditional funeral services, including in-person visitat…