Missing Sunday Dinners with Family

by Lena Schiavo

As you all know, the COVID-19 Pandemic has been very difficult for people around the world. Loved ones have passed away, people have lost their jobs, and uncertainty prevailed about when things would return to normal. However, the most difficult thing that I had to deal with was not seeing my loved ones in person.

In the United States, COVID-19 hit us hard, possibly harder than any other country. My family was just one of approximately 122 million other American families who had to adjust family life, in order to successfully deal with the virus. We followed all of the safety protocols that were set, and quarantined together without seeing our family and friends in person. Everything about COVID-19 and the possible effects of it were so new and unknown that my family and I did not want to take any chance in effecting others by not following the recommended protocols. This meant that we could not continue my most favorite pre-COVID memory of all, hosting Sunday pasta dinners. In a non-pandemic age, our Italian tradition would attract my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents nearby. All of us would socialize, enjoy a beautiful meal, joke around, and enjoy each other’s company around the dining room table. These moments allowed us to relax and unwind before a long week of school and work.

Nowadays amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, those dinners are completely gone. Although families are supposed to stick together no matter what, my parents did not want to run the risk of hosting Sunday dinners and possibly spreading COVID-19. My grandparents, who are past the age of 70 years old with low immune systems, would probably have a difficult time recovering from the virus if they were to be affected. In addition, my aunt, who became pregnant at the Pandemic’s peak, could become compromised with her child if she were to be affected. With these uncertain possibilities in mind, my parents knew ending these get-togethers was the right thing to do. Hopefully in the coming months we can start having Sunday pasta dinners together as a complete family. But for now, it is probably best that we continue to limit the spread.