Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
I’ve come to think of this post as one where you come for the music and stay for the conversation—so feel free to drop a note. The diarist gets to sleep in if she so desires and can show up long after the post is published. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
Join us, please.
It started during the last week of January 2020. The world as we knew it, dissolved. Everyone in the world was affected. This is what we had to endure.
My wife’s son was thrown out of his home and marriage. He moved in with us temporarily (or so I was told). Corona virus hits the US and the world shut down that same week. We were included. The boy (38 year old) was laid off and became hopeless and hapless. There was strife at my home for 7 months.
I even moved into a tent (the first day of May) to escape the turmoil (that I was included in). I stayed away from home for two months. The factories reopened, guidelines were enacted (nationally and locally) and arrangements were made. The boy found his own place and moved out. I went home.
The next day an old friend, of mine and the wife, called with an emergency. She had fallen. Her doctors told her she had not broken a hip but her bruising was so deep and intense that she would require home-health care for a while. I did not know it would be our home. 6 weeks passed before her brother was consulted. He made arrangements. She went home with him and now has a new home of her own (with conditions and outside aid).
Finally, we are home alone. Labor day weekend was our first moments together this year. We planned to and did nothing. What a wonderful thing. How has your world progressed?