An experience during the COVID-19 restrictions

Sr. Mary Jean Williams, OP
Adrian Dominican Sister
Henderson, NV USA

During the past 6 months I have not been able to visit with family members and I have had minimal contact with Adrian sisters in the area with whom I minister. I have a 93-year-old aunt, an Adrian Dominican, who lives in Santa Cruz, CA. I usually visit during the summer. Due to COVID-19 restrictions I have not visited my aunt since last December. Due to virus, I was not able to go to another state to help my sister, who is undergoing chemotherapy, move to Henderson, NV. It is a most confining feeling.

The quarantine and isolation have affected me. There is no opportunity to volunteer at the hospital as a Eucharistic Minister or assist in the office at the Women’s Center. These are both lifegiving experiences for me.

My most enduring memory of this time:

* The family and friends who contracted the virus

* Praying for a vaccine

* The frustration of staying inside for over 6 months and not seeing loved ones in person

* Celebration when it is safe to go out again without a mask

* The process of staying safe