On Monday, our beloved country reached a grave milestone: half a million COVID deaths. From the lens of my day-to-day, the past year has certainly been emotionally difficult, but in the grand scheme of things, I have only glimpsed the gravity of the loss that this pandemic has brought to the people of this nation and across the globe. Although I have known individuals who have fought and lost the battle with COVID-19, I am extremely fortunate to be able to say that those closest to me have remained safe and healthy during this crisis. As such, when I take a step back from my immediate reality and try to process the loss of more than 500,000 American lives to COVID-19, the number is so staggering that I struggle to wrap my mind around it.
Earlier this week, in a message to his parishioners, my priest—Mitch Smith of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, whom I often turn to for inspiration for the KellyGram—offered some sobering perspective. He reminded us that “500,000” is not just a number; each of those individual souls had a name, and they had a story. They had friends and family—loved ones who have been alone in their grief as funeral receptions and gatherings are placed on hold. There are very few of us who do not know the sorrow of losing someone we love; in my case, I have had to say goodbye to my grandparents, then to my parents, and six years ago, to my late wife, Anne. The thought of facing that pain in isolation is simply unbearable, and I mourn for those who have been forced to do so by this pandemic just as I mourn the lives lost to it.
However, Mitch also reminded his readers that, while it is important to stay mindful of the magnitude of loss surrounding this pandemic, we should balance this sadness by finding hope where we can: in the declining numbers of positive COVID cases and hospitalizations, in the growing number of vaccines being administered, and in the coming together of our community to put an end to this nightmare. So, as we mourn lives lost and continue to offer support, comfort, and prayer to those who are grieving, let us also celebrate progress and allow ourselves to feel optimistic that a brighter future awaits.
