It’s Easter Sunday. Church pews won’t be full, but homes will be alive with sheltering family units tuning in on virtual Easter Sunday service and children eagerly awaiting indoor Easter egg hunts.
Yesterday, we finished off the last tablespoon of Starbucks Breakfast Blend ground coffee. Our delivery of Don Francisco coffee won’t be in until next week and going to the store has become a dreaded task having to mask up, social distance, and to wear-or-not-to-wear gloves always confuses me. But desperate for an interim coffee supply – and short of competing for space at the local market – I slipped over to the local liquor store that carries a few grocery items. Through my mask, I asked the store owner if he carries coffee grounds. He had no idea what I was saying. He finally understood and nodded to the shelf behind me. There stood a lone can of Folgers. Uh, do you have any more coffee? He nodded yes. “Instant.”
Last evening was our second night of the “7:00PM CHEER.” This daily salute to our “Essential Workers” across the country is proving to be unity in the most powerful way. That morning I decided to type a quick letter to our neighbors on our street encouraging them to join us. As it was with me, some may not know about “The Cheer.” I handed the letter to some in their yards and for most, I taped it on their gates or front doors.
Come 7:00 p.m., one by one, neighbors on both sides of the street emerged from their homes clapping and ringing chimes. Louie had his iron skillet and wooden spoon. I could see a neighbor at the opposite end of the block and gave her a big wave. A neighbor next door wiped away tears. She, her husband and adult son were demonstrably moved. “It’s so nice to be doing this!” How I wanted to hug her.
And in the spirit of New York City skyscrapers lighting up in blue (the color of hospital scrubs), I replaced my front and back porch lights with blue bulbs.
