Life events, simple pleasures, hard times, and moments of joy still persist during the Coronavirus Pandemic. This week, our family grieves the passing of a loved one, my husband’s cousin, who died of a brain hemorrhage. We mourn with her children, parents and grandmother. Sentiments from our recent family movie, Goodbye Christopher Robin, ring true. Christopher Robin’s childhood coming of age tale urges, “Keep me in your heart I’ll stay there forever.” 

Hold in our heart forever

We acknowledge the sadness in our hearts, hope for brighter tomorrow and continue with loved ones. “[When] there is tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.”

Days may run together during almost 24/7 quarantine, times of uncertainty and grief. As the wise Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh friends asked, “What day is it? It’s today.” Hard news facts and family loss may jolt us from summer of 2020 monotony during Covid-19. 

Christopher Robin, and his Winnie-the-Pooh friends expound, “doing nothing often leads to the very kind of something.” We experience peace in neighborhood walks. We still work toward progress. We follow public health guidelines as we journey outside our comfort zone to learn and grow.

Neighbor garden stroll

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing everyday.” We pause and recharge. We anchor weekend days with three activities help, e.g. workbook pages, hiking and/or soccer, usual reading. We adapt and stay safe with facial masks, social distance and lots of cleaning. Acceptance helps conserve our energy as we do our best to control our reaction.

As the Zen Winnie-the-Pooh friends acquiesced, “I suppose it’s right where it needs to be.” We strive to practice patience and compassion with ourselves and loved ones. Christopher Robin understood, “I always get to where I’m going by walking from where I’ve been.”

We wonder at the sound of rain, roar of thunder, and beauty of clouds. This week in Chicago, we felt grateful to take shelter from tornado winds that pummeled our block. As Christopher Robin said, “Your life is happening right in front of you.”

We extend our condolences to friends and family who shoulder loss. We keep friends and family in our hearts and prayers during this time unique pressure. XO