We thought it would only be a few days, maybe a few weeks, at the very most a few months, but here we are a year later still dealing with COVID-19!
We dare not complain about making it to this point. We are here and many did not make it. It is hard to celebrate this anniversary due to the pain we have suffered. How do we acknowledge the survival without paying homage to those who are not here with us? That is impossible! We take them with us!
Over the weekend many activities were planned and attended. It was great to be able to get out, fully vaccinated, and to enjoy a few events that marked the anniversary of the onset of the virus, birthdays, lunch with friends, shopping downtown and Main Street’s Spring Fling! I saw children playing and dancing to a live band! The EHS Football team members were on hand to assist, vendors were set up, families gathered to eat and shop and the weather was beautiful! As I walked around, my heart was happy to see so many faces that I have only seen on social media recently. Many of us shared our last encounter before the “world shut down”! Our conversations were behind masks, but our eyes danced with the enthusiasm of the day!
My happy heart also had to reflect on all the individuals that would have been at some of the events I enjoyed, but who are no longer here. Some of them passed away due to COVID-19, some with underlying issues coupled with it and some from other reasons altogether. Even those who passed away with issues unrelated to COVID-19 were not given in their passing the opportunity to honor their lives as we would have under normal circumstances. We were not able to celebrate them like we would have or even to mourn them in the traditional sense. We could not gather at Homegoing Services. We could not show our respects to the family in the traditional fashion. Grieving was put on hold until things went back to normal. Many are still waiting for the opportunity to grieve.
I am so grateful for all our citizens who have done their best to continue to move forward. Many have diligently worked their businesses to transform to the direction of this new normal. Many have sacrificed for their neighbors, friends and family. A vast majority have taken the responsibility to ensure that our local economy continued to strive under the weight of everything the pandemic presented. There was not a lot of time to prepare, but it has been done as a group effort. I do not take it lightly that many have worked under the pressure of this pandemic as well as grieving a personal loss. We honor the memories of all of those we have lost by continuing to live!
May we all be mindful that we are still in the process of making it through this pandemic. We are not totally on the other side. My prayer is that we continue to acknowledge that this did not catch God by surprise! He has continued to make a way for us, and I am so in awe of His provisions! He moves mountains and causes walls to fall! We celebrate the fact that we are still here a year later! We have so much more to accomplish with the lessons we have learned. We take memories with us into the future!
Veronica Smith-Creer is the Mayor of El Dorado. She can be reached at [email protected].