Facts: In NYC nursing homes, we learned more colored old folks died by covid-19 than white (as of April 22-2020)
It would be interesting to overlay that with 9/11’s deaths in NYC just for juxtaposition.
Today, we witness “the proverbial tree” shaken with old folks slip quietly into that gentle good-night, covid-19 assisted. We got more crises and fire to put out e.g. CDC warning about upcoming winter (we haven’t even “out of the woods” from the first lockdown yet).
My parents were in nursing home, one after the other. We were more than 4 decades apart. As a result, I have a profound empathy for the loved ones who could not conduct proper funeral.
A friend told me about a drive-in funeral with big-screen TV live-streaming the service, as in those 50’s Drive-ins whose parking lots were full of convertibles and outdoor speakers.
We laughed with tears in our eyes, knowing the stuff we’re dealing with nowadays are out-of-this-world.
Bless those with old parents who are still them, living with them, and saying a word of encouragement to them. In any given day during pre-covid19, people would drop their kids at Child care and their parents at Adult-day care.
With telecommuting, with Zoom and Zuckerberg, there should be a creative alternative for our future lives – vocationally and socially.
Before nursing home, my mom was living out of “Assisted-living” apartments, a step away from nursing home. Back then, she still could walk for her groceries. Most heart-warming was when a lady, drove by and back up to offer my mom a ride back without asking. A complete stranger. Good Samaritan. Seeing an old lady struggle with her gallon of milk (her spine gave slowly as she aged).
I stopped often for a visit when in town on business travel. Once, my mom needed time to prepare our home-cooked lunch. She urged me to have a nap. From all the striving, without knowing, I needed that brief rest. And to this day, I still remember that half an hour while my mom was cooking, buying me time. It was her last home-cooked meal we had together.
It’s easy to remain distant when one heard on the radio about folks in nursing homes died by cover-19. It’s the other way when it’s your mom, your dad, or someday,….it’s your turn.
How would you like to die disproportionately just because of the color of your skin ( ….than the content of your character).
We still have a few months to prepare for next winter, ahead of CDC warning. Let’s lend a hand, stop the car, and give them a ride. Bless that lady driver who stopped for my mom. I will stop for her any time when it’s her turn needing help with her groceries.
The proverbial tree continues to filter out the unfits and misfits. Up to us to show our humanity, the kind that fits for all ages since the start of everything that was, has been and is to come.
Thang Nguyen 555 