I first met @rerutled’s family at his mother Norma’s funeral in April 2015. I last “met” them on Zoom when one of his sisters held up an iPad outside their quarantined father’s window so that we could all talk to him. Dick will be buried next to Norma within the next few days.
.@rerutled family and friends cannot be there. So many across the world are forced to grieve and mourn without the rituals we had. It feels like makeshift grief on these devices we associate with coldness and detachment. Sobbing on Zoom is soul crushing. But it’s what we have.
Two of our friends just delivered from behind a closed window paned door vibrant yellow tulips & chocolate cake for @rerutled’s birthday. They offered condolences and then put on their masks and left before we retrieved the flowers & cake. We stitch together makeshift ceremonies. 
The “virtual” world is real. I’ve long “lived” in this virtual world and appreciate its power and impact.
As we are forced to move so many rituals from the “real” world to the “virtual” world - birthdays, weddings, memorial services - it’s imperative we demolish the differences
As we are forced to move so many rituals from the “real” world to the “virtual” world - birthdays, weddings, memorial services - it’s imperative we demolish the differences
I am thinking out loud here because I want to share the difficulties of expressing pain and ways to grief that are now personal for @rerutled & me.
Sadness is as sharp via Zoom as it is via any other medium.
The hugs will come later.
Sadness is as sharp via Zoom as it is via any other medium.
The hugs will come later.
