I have not posted a blog in quite some time but decided that I need to follow my own journalism educator’s advice and report what I see. When we look back at this time, we will need these narratives to remember this pandemic.

At the moment we are under a Stay at Home order except for essential needs in our county to lessen the chance of spreading COVID19. Schools are closed, churches share services virtually, and streets are barren.

There are five positive cases of COVID 19 in our county today. Statewide there are1687 positive cases with 16 deaths due to the virus. There were zero two weeks ago.

Today was not an ordinary day to go help my 91-year-old father do is grocery shopping and have lunch together. We often reminisce and I have learned so much about his early life, his time in the Air Force, his love for my mother and so many other things.

Rather, it was a day to race around to stores to find him milk, orange juice, cottage cheese, some soups, dog food and of course, his Pepsi. I really wanted to just go in and sit a spell and drink some coffee with him and chat, but I just went to the door, passed his groceries through to him and said “Bye, Daddy, love you. See you next week.” It was so hard because I just wanted to hug him and be with him, but I know that keeping him safe from the impact of COVID 19 is essential.

His face told me that he loved me, too. He let me know I was doing the right thing because I had to go to several stores to get him things and could potentially bring all of the various germs with me.

As I walked to my car, he said, “Call me when you get home,” just like he has every other time I have left his house. I did and we chatted for a few minutes, as we always do.

As I was driving home, I remembered a scene from my teenage years when he came into the kitchen and said, “Jane, get off the phone. You are always talking.” I laughed aloud because I knew that today my daddy wanted me to talk to him on the phone as long as I wanted.

He has always promoted the idea that we need to be of great courage and resilient in times of trouble. For that, I thank him and know that it is the reason we have weathered many storms together. His last comment to me today was, “See you next week, Sunshine. Love you.” Yes, we will weather this together.

Love you, too, Daddy.