By Jill
It was one year and one month since I last saw my daughter, son-in-law and my three natural grandchildren. It has been the same amount of time since I saw my stepchildren, their spouses and my other seven grandchildren. This was the hardest part of the pandemic for me. I had this irrational fear that I might get the virus and never see them again. Well, the light at the end of the tunnel was finally here. In January, I received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, waited three weeks after my second dose to make sure the maximum immunity kicked in, and booked a trip to New York. I was lucky, my daughter and son-in-law, and one of my stepdaughters and her husband were also fully vaccinated – so they felt safe about my visit. Neil stayed home with Mickey.
Of course New York’s quarantining rules did not make this trip easy. In order to go to NY from almost anywhere, you have to quarantine and take two COVID tests, one 72 hours before arriving and one 72 hours after quarantining. Of course both have to be negative. Even though I had received both vaccines and the CDC doesn’t feel quarantining is necessary, NY still does. I was quarantined at my daughter’s and did not plan to go anywhere until after the second negative test so it was all fine.
The day to travel finally arrived. While I was sad to leave Neil and Mickey, I was beyond excited. My 8:00 AM flight was totally full. It felt strange and I was a little nervous as I had not been around that many people in such close proximity for an entire year. After the 3 hour plane trip, I was glad to disembark into the cold, snowy landscape of NY. I arrived at my daughter’s to a huge welcome sign made by my grandchildren and that began 5 days of sheer bliss. We played games, built snowmen, went sledding, cooked and baked. We watched movies and read books, did art projects and in short, spent all waking hours enjoying each other’s company. The kids were tolerant of my too often hugs and kisses and my insistence that we all cuddle on the couch including the two family dogs. I was also lucky and got to see my stepdaughter, her husband and my three grandchildren from them. We met them for sledding, hugging after each trip down the hill, and a second evening for a ladies dessert party. The entire trip was teary, joyful and a slice of heaven. I never appreciated
the importance of the hugs, kisses, and simply being together. Before COVID, I
always took these things for granted. The year of separation made me realize how lucky we are to have one another and how important it is to treasure our time together.
I had been so caught up in my excitement to finally see my family that I also did not realize that after an ENTIRE year spent alone with Neil and never leaving Mickey before, how much I would miss them. While I was away, Neil and I spoke often. He told me endless Mickey stories on the phone and thankfully they both had a blast without me.
Six days proved to be the perfect amount of time away. I was missing Neil and Mickey more each day and had collected tons of hugs and kisses from my grandchildren, daughter, son-in-law, stepdaughter and stepson-in-law to tide me over for a while. It also helped that my daughter’s family is coming to see us in three weeks. As anxious as I was to leave, I couldn’t wait to get home.
I think I have always idolized New York since moving here, longing for more time to visit. I have also taken Florida and my beautiful Parkland community for granted. While my visit was magic, my return was magic as well. I went from the snowy New York gray tundra to the beauty of green palm trees and warm sunny weather. I also went from the hugs of children and grandchildren to the hugs and kisses of Neil and the non-stop licking of Mickey. I feel blessed that I get to enjoy both and will try to never take either for granted again.