"None Were Mere Numbers"

I'm starting this post with a peaceful scene from the other side of the pond.  And if you're interested there's a cute little video of the whole duck family getting into the pond on my Instagram page that can be viewed here.

Yes, this blog is mostly about my joy....but today it's about my sorrow....and dismay.  As we head into Memorial Day you've probably seen that The New York Times has given us a powerful visual that needs to be seen widely....so I'm also sharing it here.

It leads with this paragraph:

"Numbers alone cannot possibly measure the impact of the coronavirus on America, whether it is the number of patients treated, jobs interrupted or lives cut short. As the country nears a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths attributed to the virus, The New York Times scoured more than 1,000 obituaries and death notices honoring those who died. None were mere numbers."

This link to a visual is worth scrolling through....very sobering.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/24/us/us-coronavirus-deaths-100000.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR3g6q69ucATqofp7O1xukY071WPu__sHaNUROl3tKVH9NTGF11b8cgcNSU

This is 1000 names of moms and dads, friends and neighbors....and it's just 1% of the almost 100,000 people that have lost their lives.  Mind-boggling.

"On Monday, Memorial Day, we will honor those young men and women who did not believe that being an American meant refusing to inconvenience themselves to help their neighbors."  

Heather Cox Richardson

My friend Becky reposted this on Facebook....and it was a good reminder what decent people do!

Be safe.
Be smart.
Be kind.
Be decent.