A letter from Susan James and Florence Mires
April 2020
This is a photo of the “girl’s office/studio” in the upstairs of our home. Meant to be a serene, organized space to create “art” and to get my school work done. Hmmm….aren’t we supposed to be purging, cleaning, sorting and disinfecting at this particular moment in time?
Well, we are…. sort of. We have sewn masks for healthcare workers, pulled weeds, planted seeds, baked bread, taken walks, puzzled puzzles, zoomed with our family, and spray painted anything that would stand still, (sometimes more than once.)
We have watched TV, avoided watching TV, played games and solved mysteries http://www.huntakiller.com
Add in gardening, a little art and reading books. (We read Tom Sawyer with our family and tried various platforms to host our book discussions.)
We ordered on Instacart and Amazon. Oh, let’s not forget, eaten our weight in snacks! We have wiped down every surface repeatedly, washed hands and disinfected things that we never thought needed disinfecting before. Celebrated Easter without the clan and exercised (okay we exercised twice, with YouTube.)
We have held our collective breath(s?) as we watched our family healthcare providers march off to do battle every day unprotected and unsupported. We have cheered our grocery store and delivery people for their courage. W e supported our teachers as they tried to learn to teach online. We have tried not to complain at being asked to stay home when we know that so many people are truly risking their lives to keep us safe.
And now we wait for the “all clear” knowing that it may be longer for some than others. Those of us with compromised immune systems or other health concerns may need to wait a very long time while scientists work towards a vaccine.
Our fortunes have dwindled, and yet we are grateful to have a roof over our heads, a healthy family, food on the table and good friends to visit with (in whatever way we can manage.) We are looking for the positive in this black cloud and see signs of a rebirth of our environment, (a white orca with its pod, right in Chris’s backyard!) birds chirping, trees leafing out (and giving us a big dose of pollen.)
So we create our own little paradise, nestle in and look for news of our friends, Jill growing her painting skills, Susan L. and her art, Toby heroically creating a new life for her family while nursing her husband, Fabienne fostering her beautiful dog and advocating for animals. We look forward to hearing your news and finding ways to help one another through this strange time. We send our warmest wishes for everyone’s health and wellbeing and a beautiful safe passage through this season.
Susan and Florence
Inside Life Times 