I used to read the front page of the Stars and Stripes...

[mopinko]

9. i had thought no one i knew was on that wall.

was there a couple of times, and didnt even have a name to look up.
my only brother served and came home safe. sister's bf, same.
i had totally forgotten that my mom's best friend had lost her son until i bumped into her other son on fb.

so far w this, same. but i have lost something. i was a hospice volunteer before this, and that is something that is just not happening now. and it is breaking my heart.
all those people, dying alone. people who cant hug.
a dear friend lost her son (not covid), and i sorta nudged my way in while she still wasnt seeing visitors. wasnt even telling people outside of family. she is my bff's brother.
i took her some plants i had grown, but told her if she didnt have the energy to get them in, i would shanghai her brother and get it done.

i didnt fuss about when i was coming, so she didnt have to worry.
she was out walking the dog w her brother, so i visited w her hubby for a bit.
i got to see my bff, too.
if i was logging those hours for my job, i would have given it 5 stars, and patted myself on the back. this one made me feel a bit like a vampire, tho.

i am not a cryer. srsly not a cryer.
i wept all the way home, and half that night.

those 60k souls alone, those 60k families alone, or at risk.
it's already scarred my heart, even w/o losing a single friend. up till now i had those returned hugs to shield my heart. like so much else these days, it is naked.