Endings - They Come, But They're Hard To Accept

Today is Wednesday, August 26th, and if the pandemic had been a short hop, I would be in Milwaukee today, taking a jewelry workshop from one of my favorite instructors and getting ready for the "Meet the Teachers" event tonight in the Convention Center. I'm here, at home, and quite obviously NOT in Milwaukee. I won't be returning there for this show again - ever. The Pandemic has had some unusual casualties, but the demise of a business and its' offshoots was one that many people never calculated. 

I'd attended the Bead & Button Show since the mid-1990's when they
were under the umbrella of "Embellishment" and Quilts, Etc. Having the
show (and magazine) close permanents shuts the door on more than
twenty years of my life. 

When most people think of the pandemic, they think of it a bit more personally. "Who do I know who had/has COVID?" ""How can I support friends impacted by the disease?" and "I've recovered, but now what do I do?" Of course there's also the feeling of frustration as we wait for a vaccine, and the equal annoyance with inaccurate test results if you took one of the many COVID tests available in your community. 

In addition to dealing with the virus, we've all been dealing with the effects of stay-at-home, the public unrest following the death of George Floyd and other murders by those we pay to protect us, and the dual dislikes of wearing masks in public and wading through the sewage of the Democratic and Republic Conventions. It's a Tweedledum and Tweedledee choice this November - bad or worse. I refuse to discuss politics in my blog or on FB posts, but I'm pretty unhappy with where the USA is politically right now but not seeing blue skies and bright days in our future either. 

My pharmacy, located across the street from my shop, was looted and
torched following the death of George Floyd. It was a frightening few
days for us, but we escaped because of the efforts of several neighborhood
residents who patrolled our little section of store fronts and turned
away several waves of looters and rioters. 

Look around your cities and towns. Are you seeing fewer small businesses? They're victims of the pandemic - closing left and right and leaving the retail pond to the big fish - the Amazons, Wall Marts and Costcos of the world. It's a pity - small business has always been the heart of America and we're losing a large percentage of them this year. So if you have a choice, please support your local small businesses - they'll appreciate the opportunity to serve you. 

I'm feeling a bit shell-shocked about my cousin Miki's death right
now. I'm shocked that I didn't know she died, or even that she
had cancer. But we weren't super close, just touched base a
couple of times a year. Still, someone important just left my life. 

Finally, on a personal note, I received notification yesterday that my cousin Miki died in late March from complications after pancreatic cancer surgery. She was a brilliant person - a law professor at Wake Forest School of Law for many years, married to her beloved Regina until she died from brain cancer in 2017. We weren't close, but we were in steady contact with each other. Throughout her life she lived with Crohn's disease, a crippling disease that required many abdominal surgeries throughout her life. I'm still trying to figure out if she was 6 or 8 years older than I am, but either number, she was too young to leave us. Still, if one believes in an afterlife, maybe she's with Regina again. 

On that semi-depressing note, for which I apologize, I'm signing off for the day. Have a wonderful Wednesday and I plan to be back with you tomorrow.