Cathy Horn is a member of Greenwich Pen Women and enjoys writing and sharing stories.
Recently she got involved in the Mass Observation COVID-19 project through the Greenwich Historical Society, and shared with them the above photo.
The project was modeled after a social research project that took place between 1937 and the early 1950s in Britain. It is founded on the belief that a diary represents valuable historical testimony.
What may seem mundane today, or might have in 1937, would indeed be telling 100 years later. Certainly, today we all are witnessing history in the making.
On that note, Greenwich resident Cathy Horn shared a photo and poem that captures a moment in history.
Cathy’s daughter lives in Westport with her husband, daughter Eliza who is almost 3 years old, and three month old baby, Cassidy.
“My daughter is on maternity leave, and her husband is working from home. They’re used to having our help,” she said. “But they are managing.”
Cathy said she frequently babysits her grandchildren, and that her visits are peppered with many hugs and kisses.
Sadly, none of that is possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re not getting together on advice of our doctors and the baby’s doctor because her immune system is not developed,” Cathy said.
However, a few days ago, Cathy said she was able to see Eliza up close.
“I went up to Westport to drop something off and was going to do it secretly and leave it in front of the garage,” Cathy recalled, adding that she was about to turn around and get in her car when her daughter had another idea.
Cathy was able to meet her granddaughter who was on the opposite side of the glass storm door.
“It was an amazing moment of happiness,” Cathy said. “She was so excited to see me and was screaming and laughing. It was adorable to pretend to hug and kiss and look forward to the time the glass isn’t there.”
Cathy said the photo was taken after 22 days that she and her grand daughter had not seen each other, with the exception of Facetime, which they do almost every day.
As for the toll isolation has taken, Cathy said, “In the scheme of things, this is nothing.”
“We’re taking lots of walks, doing yard work and doing a lot of writing,” she said, adding that she and her husband are trying not to watch a lot of news.
Cathy explained that Writer’s Digest has a challenge this April to write a poem a day.
Every day the Poem-A-Day Challenge offers a prompt, and on one particular day the prompt was “moment.”
“Whatever the prompt is, I try to relate it to the crisis,” Cathy said. Here is Cathy’s poem in response to the “moment” prompt.
A Moment in the CV19 World
A small moment
Larger than life
Short in duration
Yet everlasting.
We hadn’t seen each other in 22 days
The longest we’d ever been apart.
She yelled when she saw me,
“MeMa’s HERE!!!”
I heard her through the glass.
I saw her through the glass
Smiling and jumping
Giggling and screeching
Joy exuding from her little body
All because of me.
I made silly faces and
Sang our silly song
I showed her a gift I brought
To be left by the door
Retrieved later by her Mommy,
My precious daughter,
Once she dons a
Mask and Gloves
And sprays it with disinfectant.
We pretended to hug
And then we kissed.
I imagined the glass wasn’t there.
Yes, I felt her through the glass.
Her love coursed through my veins
Enough to sustain me for a little while
And I hope that she felt the same.
A small moment
Larger than life
Short in duration
Yet everlasting.
Greenwich residents interested in contributing to the Historical Society archives can submit via a form on GreenwichHistory.org
See also:
Mass Observation Project on COVID-19 Experience Borrows Concept from WWII Effort