Diary: Living with a pandemic 23 (Sunday 5 April 2020)

When you are apart from family and friends, whether by order or voluntarily, you spend a lot of time tuning into TV programs or doing things alone you might otherwise spread out over days and weeks. It can be particularly lonely when your children are far away or in other ways prevented from visiting.

We were able to Facetime with our son and his family today who are in self-imposed isolation in Amsterdam. It is trying for them to not be able to work, go to school, visit with friends or travel. It is equally difficult for us to not be able to see them and our other children and grandchildren in person. Phone and video calls are a great way to keep in touch. Our daughter also called today to set us up with more streaming channels, something we will enjoy immensely. We’d be lost without WiFi, and, of course, the care and attention of our children.

In all the news broadcasts and commentary that we are subjected to these days, there is little that brings positive or upbeat feelings. 

One that was uplifting, though, was the short address by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It can be viewed here.

It was not a long speech, nor really a speech at all really. The Queen took the time to praise health care and other essential workers who give tirelessly to assist both the sick and the needy and to give her best wishes to people all over the world, who like us may feel isolated. She is a generation that we can relate to, directly and through our parents. Her calm demeaner and direct message was in direct contrast to the many other ‘leaders’ we have heard too frequently across the airwaves, and whose capability for sympathy, strength, inspiration and resolve could never come close to matching.

One does not have to be a royalist supporter to learn from or appreciate these occasions. The Queen’s message offered us a chance to quietly take stock of what we have, what we can do and where we might be going, ending her address with the words from another time, but as distressing to the generation it was intended for, “We’ll meet again.”