Visits and Photographs of Home

 

This was the first time, in the past 40 years, that I haven’t seen my mom’s house decorated for the holidays. In the past we would visit and take photos or if we couldn’t be there… my dad would do the honors, taking pictures of everything to satisfy my need to visually see home. When my dad passed almost two years ago, my brother was the one who inherited the task of taking the photos, usually because we were nursing health problems far away. With Covid now running rampant, my brother couldn’t make the trip from California to the East Coast because his family was in lockdown mode. A sad but necessary precaution. My hubby and I were in the same boat, so that meant my 87 year old mom celebrated alone. That made us all sad. Throughout her married life my dad was the photographer, videographer, cell phone, and computer whiz. He was in the television biz and had a knack for it. My mom never picked up a camera, cell phone, or turned on a computer. Without my dad there to connect with our families in that way, she is lost, and there is a BIG void in all our lives. We have tried to convince her to get a smart phone, but she’s convinced she wouldn’t understand it, with none of us there to teach her and, refuses to spend the money. Therefore, she is adamant she doesn’t want technology to be part of her life. As a result, my dad  is sorely missed. There is so much she isn’t privy too without those elements helping us keep in touch.  We miss her so much  and are saddened  because we can’t see her sweet face, up close and personal, online or even with a cell-phone selfie. We want to be able to send pictures of us, or bitmojis, to her with just a click of our fingers, instead of relying on USPS, which isn’t getting the job done delivering mail. But it’s not meant to be.  She just isn’t open to this modern communication. With the virus hot spots, springing up everywhere... I’m not sure when we’ll be able to go home and visit. And like millions of others around the country, it’s tough. We take comfort in the fact she has friends that check in to see how she’s doing.  And, my brother and I, call everyday on her landline. And her grandchildren do the same on the weekends. I’m praying these vaccines make a difference, so we can travel again without fear of getting ill in the coming year. Both my hubby and  I are severely compromised health-wise, so we can’t afford to take chances.  My nana and grandpa survived the 1918 pandemic. And both our daughters have survived Covid-19 but not without side effects that have altered their lives.  We are saying our prayers, we get to visit my mom, sooner rather than later.  Life is short. You never know how much time 

you have to say hello or goodbye.