This current world-wide experience has caused our daily lives to change. At first I was experiencing too many shifts and changes to track. The magnitude of this spreading virus was too much to take in, especially because the reports heavily emphasized the danger to people in my age group - I am 74. 

About 10 days into the first self-quarantine ordered, reality hit me hard. I could not contain or manage the overwhelming grief that passed in and through me. All I could do was honor the decision I had made the day before to watch very little TV. After all, it was the same every day: more reported illnesses, more positive tests, more deaths. I reached out to dear & trusted friends to pray for me. By mid-afternoon, I was calmer, crying less often, and completely exhausted.

Now, by necessity, more people than I can count are alone at home. They are, like me, not being with beloved family or friends. I miss playing with my grandchildren, hugging my daughter, son,...