It's pretty challenging to feel completely content these days when every time you walk out of your house you know COVID-19 could be lurking nearby.
I still don't leave home much, and I always wear a mask when I do. As the COVID numbers continue to climb from state to state, it seems I'm constantly getting news that someone I know or someone close to someone I know has been diagnosed with the deadly virus. For so many families, it's a difficult time.
During these weary days of living in a pandemic, you seek out goodness - something that makes you happy. My happiness skyrockets each day when I wake up and know my daughter and three grandchildren are next door. My daughter is homeschooling the kids, Tilleigh, 13, Evie, 10, and William, 8. (My other two grandchildren, Charleana, 3, and Misha, 1, live in San Diego with their parents, my son and his wife).
Transforming from working in a law office to teaching three kids in three grades is maybe one of the biggest challenges my daughter has ever encountered. But she had the opportunity to do it, and she took it.
Because the kids are home-schooled and all of us rarely leave our compound (but always wear masks when we do), we relaxed COVID-19 restrictions for our immediate family because we are always together. Anyone else who visits us, we maintain social distance and wear masks. And if one of us experiences any COVID-19 symptoms, we get tested.
Many days when the kids finish their school work, they take a break and spend time with me. However we spend those hours together, it's what gets me from one day to the next. It's seriously hard to be sad when you're around goofy, sweet, loving children. They're constantly making me laugh, sharing their deepest thoughts and talking about everything ranging from school to politics to Christmas to our love for one another.
Recently, Tilleigh changed her social-media profile photo to one of her with her aunt (Karah) and me. The photo was taken on Sept. 26, my 68th birthday. It melted my heart that my granddaughter was not ashamed or embarrassed to include her grandmother in her prime post. It's irrelevant to me how long the photo stays up. Just the fact that she did it melts my heart.
I just read a story that it's very unlikely we'll ever go back to our old normal. This virus could be here to stay in one format or another. Once there's a safe vaccine, we'll adjust our lives accordingly.
But there's one thing that won't change: family. The love we have for one another will get us through any dark days. We'll weed out any negativity and focus on the good. We'll stick together and stand up for what's right and show compassion to those who need our support. And, right now, there's a lot of folks out there who could use our support.
Email Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com.