![Keeping family ties strong](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/9956/610743/60349191df86f/Keeping-family-ties-strong.jpg)
When restrictions and shutdowns were first officially announced in March of last year, I remember listening to Governor Jay Inslee on the radio in the car.
It was one of those “frozen moments” for me where I felt a paradigm shift. Not yet as dramatic as the assassination of President John Kennedy or the tragedy of 9/11, but the feeling of uncertainty about where COVID-19 would take us was unmistakably jarring.
This past year has indeed taken us on “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
One of the most challenging consequences of this pandemic (other than the profound impacts of the disease itself) for many people has been managing long-distance relationships with loved ones.
I confess I have come to the realization that I have always felt entitled to see my daughter and grandchildren twice a year. That has been the case for 15 years, until 2020 came along.
We managed our biannual visits when they lived in France, in Hawaii, and Florida, where they have been for the past five years. We always had that much-needed dose of quality time together, and we have become dependent on it.
This past year has humbled me and made me even more grateful for the previously guaranteed anticipation of in-person hugs and snuggles with Emma (now 15) and Sam (12).
As the months went by, the reality of when it would be safe to travel to Florida, or for them to come here, began to form a dark cloud on the horizon.
We had our good-bye hugs on Jan. 8, 2020, so we passed the one-year mark almost two months ago. In looking back, I have been asking myself how we have been able to keep those critically important family bonds strong and thriving without our biannual time together.
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The Good Life.
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Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The Good Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Nita Paine](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/6034990ec04f7/crp_Nita-Paine.jpg)
Nita Paine
‘I love that we provide an outlet to people to express themselves, to find out who they are’
![Looking at life from a different angle now](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/603493c3aa7ad/crp_Looking-at-life-from-a-different-angle-now.jpg)
Looking at life from a different angle now
Bout with cancer, plus pandemic made couple wonder: Why wait to really live?
![Keeping family ties strong](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/60349191df86f/crp_Keeping-family-ties-strong.jpg)
Keeping family ties strong
Twelve months of COVID makes for a long year away from kids and grandkids
![It's a kick to be a zebra — or a canary](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/603490661a760/crp_Its-a-kick-to-be-a-zebra-or-a-canary.jpg)
It's a kick to be a zebra — or a canary
When making the call is your calling
![Saved family letters tell of war horrors, peacetime hopes and dreams](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/60349ab13361c/crp_Saved-family-letters-tell-of-war-horrors-peacetime-hopes-and-dreams.jpg)
Saved family letters tell of war horrors, peacetime hopes and dreams
Loving letters from long ago
![Varied Thrush: Making a bold statement](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/60348e38497de/crp_Varied-Thrush-Making-a-bold-statement.jpg)
Varied Thrush: Making a bold statement
Globally, the thrush family contains 169 viable species; three other thrush species are now extinct.
![Clean shots](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/603497ad79eff/crp_Clean-shots.jpg)
Clean shots
For real estate photographer, the art is in the uncluttered details
![Visiting the glory years of our parents](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/60348f2aaca2c/crp_Visiting-the-glory-years-of-our-parents.jpg)
Visiting the glory years of our parents
Obituaries – They’re really NOT for the dead
![Going deep with Dan Feil](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/6034959a279d3/crp_Going-deep-with-Dan-Feil.jpg)
Going deep with Dan Feil
Warm crystal clear water, incredible fish, spectacular scenery, why not jump off a boat in the tropics?
![Bringing a glow to the night](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9956/610743/603499c808d31/crp_Bringing-a-glow-to-the-night.jpg)
Bringing a glow to the night
Who says outside lights are just for Christmas time? Drivers on Maple Street in Wenatchee will now see lights year-round.