What ways have you found to connect during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, I found myself craving connection. Did you? During isolation, all the day-to-day connections were stripped away. We were left with work from home, school from home, no extracurriculars, zoom church, etc. For a while, outside my immediate family, almost all interaction became via a screen. I loved the time to focus on my immediate family, but also found myself looking for new ways to connect with my friends and extended family.
There’s something powerful that happens when women and families come together for good causes.
I found myself checking in with others more via text/phone calls since I didn’t see them as much. I also joined online communities like Strong Moms and the 21 Day Family Connections Experiment. My Marco Polo conversation threads increased dramatically as I chatted with friends across the country.
A silver lining of the pandemic is that it took away the busyness of day-to-day life and made me crave connection in new ways. Perhaps the old adage is true – absence makes the heart grow fonder! My online interactions became less surface-level because I wasn’t able to communicate with people in real life. I couldn’t commiserate over toddlers waking up at night to the friend sitting next to me at church. That’s why I appreciate this Strong Moms community! You became the mom friends I could bounce ideas off of.
Left to right: Taralyn, Sara & Monta – cousins & Strong Moms
Similarly, being part of Strong Moms has helped me strengthen relationships with my own family! Did you know that the creator of Strong Moms, Monta Cooper, is cousins with our amazing Tame the Brain author Sara Parker? And they are both my first cousins once removed. I am grateful that as the pandemic has ebbed and flowed that I have been able to get together in real life with these wonderful ladies, too.
These relationships were bright lights for me during the pandemic. There’s something powerful that happens when women and families come together for good causes. Strengthening mothers is definitely an important one!
I love this quote and I love that in spite of and because of the pandemic, I have been able to form deeper friendships with friends and family. I am grateful that I can use technology as a tool to strengthen my relationships and community.
How have you been able to find connection these past two years? What has helped you the most to strengthen relationships and draw closer to friends and family? Please share in the comments below! We’d love to connect with you!
Find more FAMILY CONNECTIONS – GENEALOGY.
