The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
I would love to be sitting here writing about some good sports story that has happened this past week. But sports just do not seem all that important to me right now and you probably feel the same way.
Each night we all hear the numbers. They are hard to avoid. Every news report whether local or national leads with the same information about COVID-19 – number of cases in the world; number of cases in the US; number of deaths for both. And it just becomes a number. We accept the report, knowing it will increase the next day.
We sit and see “hot spots” parking refrigerator trucks in the hospital parking lots to serve as morgues for the rising number (that word again) of deaths. There is just nowhere to put the bodies. And these patients have passed unable to see or, very often, speak to their loved ones. Ventilators keep that from happening. Doctors, nurses, and first responders are among the tally. No final words; no final good-bye.
Due to “social distancing”, funerals are held for just a few. Any eulogy that one might receive at some point at a memorial service would certainly include these words, “They died before their time.” And that is the tragedy.
My sister, Judy, “died before her time” at the age of 43. She had breast cancer; waited too long to seek treatment; never recovered. She was building a house, had two boys in college, and needed to work. She could not afford to stop working; in the end, she could not afford not to. It cost her her life.
But at least there was closure. We were gathered around at the end. She knew we were there. We had a chance to say goodbye. We had a funeral for all who wished to grieve with the family and we had a moment to express our memories. It is what the living want when a loved one has passed.
Now each day we offer up numbers. We do not attach names for the most part and we do not consider the parents, spouses, children, family and friends left behind. Our president tells us “We need to get back to work”, but each day the categories of numbers grow larger and larger and “getting back to work” seems to be in the distant future.
My message when my sister passed was that I knew why she lived – it was apparent throughout her life and certainly apparent at the funeral. What was not apparent to me or anyone was why she died,
It was well “before her time”.
Thousands and thousands are asking the same question. And the answer is more than just looking at the numbers. Each number is another tragic story.
I hope by next week, I have a good sports story to tell – I doubt it.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- Remember the name Tom Dempsey, the former Eagle, who was born without toes on his right kicking foot. He was famous for the 63-yards field goal he kicked in 1970 for the New Orleans Saints. He died at the age of 73 from (you guessed it) complications from the coronavirus.
- The NFL draft will take place this month – April 23-25. It will be done virtually from the homes of the various team executives and players have been invited to participate on line.
- Lafayette senior Myles Cherry was named on the second team of Australia’s best college players. Cherry lives in Newcastle, Australia. The psychology major hopes to continue playing abroad.
- Two Massachusetts golfers were arrested after playing a round of golf in Rhode Island. Non-residents must quarantine themselves for 14 days if they enter the state. They face a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. I hope they had a good round.
- Now that we are isolated, a little humor – not mine, but funny: During my quarantine, I watched birds fight over a worm from my living room window. The Cardinals led the Blue Jays 3-1.
