Together apart

It has now been one month since my children and I have seen each other; the longest we have ever been apart. I was choking back tears as we spoke via video call yesterday, the pang of homesickness in my heart surged seeing their faces. "I miss you so much," I said again for the millionth time. "Same," they replied. "So much."

My daughter said it reminded her of her first (and only) time at sleep-away camp. After dropping her off, I realized she had left her favorite water bottle in the car. I quickly wrote "I love you!" on the bottle with a Sharpie, kissed it and ran it to her counselor to deliver to her (they wouldn't let me see her). She told me yesterday that for the two weeks she was away at camp in order to ease her homesickness, she rationed the water in the bottle, only taking one sip a day because she wanted to "experience the taste of home" in the water I had poured for her just that morning.

I remain so proud of my children as they navigate so many unknowns and changes to their daily lives. And I know in the deepest depths of my heart that they are where they need to be right now. As I daydream of our reunion in another month, I feel blessed and grateful and know we will all be stronger as a result of this difficult time. I am reminded that while things may be different for others, we really are in this together, no matter what our shelter-in-place plan looks like. And one day, one sip, at a time, we will get through this.