Our view this week: Showing love by keeping your distance

When my family gathers for a meal, my favorite time is when we sit together sharing stories after we’ve eaten. 

One of my favorite family stories is one my mom shares about me. I don’t remember my part in it, but it goes like this:

The phone rang and I answered. I was 10 or younger at the time. It was our pastor. He asked for my mother. I asked him to hold, covered the receiver and said, “Mama, it’s for you.”  My mom took the phone and said hello. The pastor said, “Was she raised in the south?” My mother replied, “Why do you ask?” “She called you ‘Mama,’” the pastor said. To which my mother replied, “No, she’s just unusually devoted to me.”

I will be 50 this year and for as long as I can remember, I have indeed been unusually devoted to my mother. That makes this time of social distancing incredibly difficult for me, as I’m sure it is for many who have aging (or other high risk) loved ones.

Thankfully, my octogenarian parents are still spry enough to have their own home. I have been visiting during the pandemic. I perch on a glider on their back porch outside a sliding glass door. My mom and I chat on the phone while seeing each other through the glass (she is not a fan of FaceTime or other video chat technology). While we both ache for our usual hug, seeing her in-person, even at a distance is better than nothing. I feel I am showing her love by keeping my distance. We end each visit by holding our hands together on either side of the glass.

My heart goes out to all of you who are showing love by keeping your distance. Protecting our most vulnerable during these challenging times will pay off in the end.

Stay strong, safe and healthy!

Christina

P.S. If you like our masks, you can get one too.

Click here for our Victory Masks.