After a year of isolation, Americans are reuniting. They are hugging, laughing and crying. They are mourning, and they are still anxious.
But they have done it together.
Here’s a look at reunions that have taken place across the country. washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
Valerie Brachulis was the surprise guest in the back seat of the car when Emma Rice, her 5-year-old granddaughter, was finished with school on April 8.
“Oh my gosh! You really came with us!” Rice exclaimed.
On Easter Sunday, Rev. Keith Thomas held his first in-person service in over a year at Mount Olive, one of the oldest and largest Black churches in Champaign, Ill.
“The pandemic really took a toll,” said Marion Harrington, a church deacon. “But now we’re back home again.”
These four women, all in their 60s, used to play mah-jongg once a week. During the pandemic, they played online nearly every day.
Despite the physical distance, they found they were growing closer. It was “two hours of feeling like life was sort of normal,” Terri Sachs said.
After a lonely Ramadan last year, Mo Baydoun and his vaccinated relatives were finally together in April for iftar. But there's one missing seat at the table.
“Who are we without our family? That’s our roots. Ramadan really reminds us how important it is to be around family.”
Matthew Viator taught piano over FaceTime during the pandemic, but it didn't sound as good. He cried during his first in-person class with Maya Asakura since March 2020.
“It’s been a real loss to me not to hear that tone that she has. That beautiful tone."
Last summer, Bec Roldan came out to relatives as nonbinary, a "stressful thing to say over the phone." In May, they were finally able to visit home and introduce their partner to their family.
“Hugging them was just surreal," Roldan said. "It was just a joyous, joyous moment.”
As spring unfolded and covid vaccines became available, reunions are popping up across the country, creating new possibilities for closeness and joy. washingtonpost.com/nation/interac…
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