Waiting

 

Sweet JaeBeth celebrating her birthday under the strangest of circumstances.

When we left Idaho three weeks ago, and flew to be with our family in Texas, we had a solid plan. We'd quarantine for ten days, then we'd finally, finally be able to be together. Hugs would abound. Grandkids would spend the night. We'd have a big slumber party at our house, bake cookies, Sunday morning breakfast, put up the snow village, and on and on. The grandkids and I were literally counting down the days til 'hug day' as we called it.

We came home, unpacked our suitcases, got the house stocked and sorted out the myriad of things that come with being gone for months on end, and finally we were at day 9. Plans were for the grandkids to come to our house the very next morning, do some fun Christmas stuff together, have supper, then we'd take them back to their parents' home, only minutes away from us. 

I heard my phone ding and looked down to see a text from our daughter-in-love telling us our son had just tested positive for covid, and was headed home. The first few days we were slightly concerned to see how he would weather this (he has a track record of getting pretty sick with respiratory stuff); by day five he'd lost taste and smell, was running a fever, had a miserable headache and was struggling to have the energy to get out of bed. But each day he got a bit better, and we were hopeful that by his day ten or so we'd see light at the end of the tunnel. We knew we'd miss Christmas together, but we thought we'd still have New Year's to celebrate.

Our grandson had already had a slight fever a few days before that, but no big symptoms, and while they were saying he was presumptive positive (a new word for year 2020), for a few days it looked like it was only him who was suspect. On Christmas Eve Eve our DIL started feeling under the weather. Then our granddaughter also started feeling a bit less than stellar. Which was even more miserable since Christmas Day is also her birthday. So off the three of them went to be tested and sure enough they were all positive. 

Thank goodness for being able to face time. 

For the past ten days we've run meals up the road, dropped off prescriptions, face timed with them when they feel up to it, dropped off Christmas gifts at their door, and waited. Our DIL and the two kids are only on day five and they are still running fevers, coughing, exhausted, and achy. 

So we wait. 

This isn't what any of us had planned; it's not what any of us expected. The only shining star in any of it is that the last three of them tested positive on December 24 so our son could come out of the bedroom where he was isolating and they could be together for Christmas and our granddaughter's birthday. 

There have been so many emotions, thoughts running through my head, at how much of life doesn't go the way we had planned. How blessed we are that so far none of them is terribly ill, just miserable and we're thankful for that; how much we come to expect things to go our way, and take for granted even the little things in life; how much I miss being able to be together, even how normal it feels to be busy, and how odd it is to just stay home with time on my hands. The list goes on and on. 

Our tree is going to be here awhile longer than we expected.

Our little tree will stay up, even though all the packages that were waiting under it have been delivered, and when our kids and their kids are all finally on the other side of this we will finally be together. The grandkids will help me put out the snow village, no matter the date. We'll still bake cookies, and even watch a Christmas movie because why not? Just tonight I finally switched the bedding on the twin beds upstairs, putting on the flannel sheets that have red trucks hauling Christmas trees. The other guest room where their parents will sleep waits with brand new flannel sheets with polar bears and snow flakes on it. We'll hopefully have a sleepover still, and I'll take out the frozen turkey and begin the thawing process so that we can finally, finally have Christmas and New Year's dinner together. 

On the upside, Texas has finally gotten cold enough for us to use the fireplace. 

According to Websters an epiphany is a moment of sudden insight or understanding. That when we finally get to be together, to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, it'll be closer to Epiphany - maybe that's completely appropriate.