| Happy 2021! | 1/18/2021 Thought Archive |
| How time flies in The Covid Age…read on for my first diary entry since September of 2020!
Since his birth last August 2nd, my husband and I were on stand-by to meet our first grandchild. We had made several plans to drive out to Los Angeles, but they all fell through. My recurring bouts of intestinal flu and other, non-health related complications arose like as many roadblocks between Ohio and California. Our last hope was a Thanksgiving reunion in Los Angeles. But at that point, Covid numbers kept increasing and travel was not advised. You’re familiar with the saying: “If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain”? Well, on December 19th, my son, his wife and their precious 4-month old packed up their car for their nearly 4, 000 mile adventure to “The Heights” of northeastern Ohio. They broke up the trip in carefully-planned segments across the country and arrived in our driveway two days before Christmas: the perfect Christmas gift! Not only had we not seen our son and his wife since last year at this time, it was also our first live meeting with the little guy! We were/are in heaven and he took to us immediately! Our daughter-in-law’s mother hadn’t seen her daughter in a year or met the baby either. She drove in from New Jersey to join us on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful reunion for all! She stayed with us for two weeks and we had a great time, celebrating a white Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Day in Cleveland. We cooked lots of meals, supported local restaurants with take-out dinners, enjoyed daily walks through the snow, played dice games, watched movies, cheered for the Cleveland Browns (with our little mascot dressed for every game, just like his daddy). Most of all, we drooled over our little treasure, who was actually drooling quite a bit himself as he approached his fifth month: first teeth coming in? By the way, we welcomed another adorable baby boy to our family, born to my French nephew in November ! He and our tiny Californian here are only three months apart, which should make them instant friends when some day we can travel safely again! The two babies would have made my beautiful mother so happy and proud. She would have loved hearing about her fifth and sixth great-grandchildren. It has already been one year (January 4th) since she died, just three months shy of her 95th birthday. She was such a huge part of my life. I miss our conversations, her wise advice…and just hearing her voice and contagious laugh. But she would have been terribly isolated by the no-visiting restrictions that came with Covid—my sister Wendy and I took turns so that she would have at least one visitor every day and sometimes two. I do believe it is a blessing that she did not have to experience these unsettling times. It’s so sad to no longer have her with us physically, but I know that she is with me in spirit. My brother and sisters feel the same, and it is of great comfort to us. We miss her. It’s been a strange, strange year for everyone, of course. There have been no tour dates for me since my Valentine’s Day Weekend shows in Las Vegas with Jim last February, which feels almost eerie. And no one really knows when venues will open again for live shows. Let’s hope that vaccines will perform their miracle and we can get back to some normalcy, very soon. I miss performing and connecting with fans and friends across the country. Thank you all for your emails and social media comments. I appreciate your love and support! In the meantime, I’m continuing to post photos (mostly of my grandbaby, ha ha) and videos on social media, practicing my yoga through Cleveland Yoga live-stream classes, taking brisk walks on our chilly winter days, and of course loving our little babe around the clock. His daddy is a producer/writer for Star Trek Discovery and is able to write remotely! Lucky us!!! Happy and Healthy 2021 to you! And I pray for peace and unity for us all. |
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