Monday, April 6, 2020

Modern Day Heroes


Virtual Event Tonight: Join Red Julia Spencer-Fleming in conversation with Maine author Paul Doiron at 7PM EST! Find out more at the Print Bookstore Facebook or sign up directly here!


LUCY BURDETTE: I’m sorry to be nudging us to talk about more COVID-19 subjects, but it’s hard to think about much else isn’t it? I manage to get away a bit if I get into my manuscript (ha! As if!) or if reading a really good book or watching a good TV show, but then the TV and online news drags me back. So I started thinking about how some people rise to a terrible challenge in a great way and others...don’t. We have a new set of heroes these times and I thought we could chat about that. Here are a few of mine… The first is Governor Andrew Cuomo. I admire how he’s handled the burgeoning crisis in New York-- his calmness, his candor, his caring as he tries to lead through this impossible time with his own state at the epicenter, and sharp politics to navigate.



I absolutely loved this sentence from "What the ‘Cuomo 2020’ Fantasy Says About 2020 Reality: by Matt Flegenheimer: (NYT) because it described me so perfectly:

"His is a new coalition, couch-bound and spooked, finding small comforts where few had sought sustenance before: in the tender embrace of a disaster briefing by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo."

Next is yoga and other exercise teachers. They have flocked online to lead classes that help people manage anxiety and feel strong in a terrible time. I’m taking yoga classes three times a week, and now we’ve discovered that our pilates teacher in CT has a facebook presence. Exercise aside, the classes are such a great way to feel less alone.


My favorite yoga teacher, Ali Beale



Obvious heroes are the medical people on the frontlines. Many of you will have seen this photo of my daughter in her “moon suit.” She’s an ER doc and this is what they wear to intubate a patient, which is a very dangerous point for spreading the virus.  (With gloves on of course!) My nephew is an ER resident and honestly, we are terrified for both of them. And they are scared too--but they do what they are called to do. It’s not only doctors--all the medical professionals and paraprofessionals are in danger, and yet doing their jobs. 





And last, ministers. They aren’t all heroes (don’t get me started on those who are insisting on continuing to meet in person), but we belong to two lovely churches, one in Key West and one in Madison. Neither wasted a nanosecond realizing they needed to move services online. I find watching them to be a huge comfort--more familiarity and love in a horrible time.


Our dear friend Steve Torrence at an Easter sunrise service, with friend Cathy
(And ps if you should wish to try either of those services, both are on Facebook, https://www.Facebook.com/mcckeywest and https://www.facebook.com/fccmadison/)


Who are your heroes right now?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Dr. Fauci. I believe every word he says, and he knows what he’s talking about. That’s astonishingly reassuring. Listening to him, we get the facts. If he doesn't know something, he says so. Honesty and intelligence and true science. That’s all I really need.


And the people who work in grocery stores, and  the food delivery people. I almost cry every time they come to the door. How brave of them to take care of us.


My next door neighbors. On one side, Maureen, who emailed me today to see if we wanted a few masks and a box of gloves. She had extra, she said. ::amazing::


And on the other side, neighbor Amy. Who goes to the produce store for us when she goes for her family. We give her our whole milk and potatoes, and she gives us access to lettuce and apples. 


Teachers. My step-daughter teaches kindergarten. She now teaches her littles via zoom, while handling an 11 year old son and a 16 year old son and a husband who works from home in a two-bedroom/living room-dining room/kitchen in crowded Brooklyn. HOW does she do that?


Moms of all kinds, in fact. My editor is home with a 2year old and a 4 year old. SHe takes care of the kids, and home schools, from 6am to 2pm, while her husband uses the bedroom/office. Then she does her editing work from 2pm til 10pm, while her husband handles the kids. AND! They just got a new dog. The dog’s name is Lucky. 


RHYS BOWEN: We have encountered nothing but kindness and consideration. My daughter Clare bakes bread, does shopping and leaves items at our front door 
I have three family members who are teachers and have all had to come up with online methods of teaching and reaching out to students. This has involved a steep learning curve especially for my daughter-in-law who is a special ed coordinator and my daughter who was charged with setting up the online teaching environment for her whole school.


Obviously the medical personnel but the store clerks are my heroes too. Each time we brave the supermarket they have been caring and cheerful, handing us a sanitized cart as we enter. 


My son is a healing specialist whose practice is closed but is putting out wonderful daily chats on how to cope. My daughter Jane is another hero. She owns a swim center that she has had to close but continues to pay her employees and has set up online fitness and yoga classes. It seems most people rise to the occasion except a few of my daughters club members, one of whom wrote, in all caps: why the hell should I pay dues for a club that is closed?


Stay safe everyone!


JENN McKINLAY: My college roommate, Annette, is a hospital nurse. Needless to say, I am in awe of her ability to provide care and support not only to the patients she’s charged with but also to her fellow healthcare workers, who are all working with insufficient equipment. I can’t even fathom the mental toll this is taking on all of them.


Like Hank, I am boggled by the awesome teachers who scrambled to take their curriculums into unfamiliar online forums - my god, they are heroes! I mean if I had to homeschool the Hooligans, they’d be dumb as bricks. 


Next up, the grocery/pharmacy/retail store clerks. Putting themselves at risk by exposure to an invisible enemy just so we can get our Pop Tarts and bottles of Lysol. I will never take my grocers for granted again - never - not ever.


HALLIE EPHRON: Definitely the doctors and nurses and hospital staff that are responding in this crisis. Like Lucy’s Molly, our friend Pat’s daughter who’s a doctor in Austin has volunteered to work an emergency room in NYC. My daughter’s dearest friend, a nurse, who manages emergency medicine at a major hospital in NY and sent her husband and little boy to her parents while she’s working 10 hours a day. She knows it’s only a matter of when, not if she’ll get sick herself.


My children who’ve hammered it into my head that I am not to run errands. 


Dr. David Price of Cornell Weill Medical Center NY whose calming video Rhys shared yesterday. 


My neighbors on one side, he’s a senior State police officer who goes to work every day. His wife, a reading specialist who’s been driving all over the city trying to deliver learning materials to her students. My neighbor on the other side, an electrical worker who’s “on call” 24/7. Our OTHER neighbor’s grandkids who left lovely chalk messages on the sidewalk for us all to feel just a bit more connected.


 The staff at my local Stop n Shop on Newport Ave in Quincy, MA. THANK YOU!


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Some of my heroes are the people who are doing videos and podcasts and radio shows from their living rooms to make me laugh - Noah Trevor at the Daily (Self-Distancing) Show, Peter Sagel on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Samantha Bee doing BEEing at Home from the woods behind her house - I love knowing that they’re in the same straits we all are, and are carrying on being funny at a time when it can be hard to find anything to laugh about.


One of my heroes is my young friend Jess, who is working 50-60 hours a week at a small local chain of grocery stores and shopping for us and dropping off groceries and special goodies from her store every week. Her help, after long hours on the job, means none of us needs to go out to stores.


Also, going out to the box to fetch the mail has become a highlight of the day, and I’m deeply grateful that the men and women of the US Postal Service are out there every day, picking up and delivering mail. I’m going to leave a thank-you note in my mailbox to let ours know how much I appreciate him!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, definitely on the mail carriers. A thank you note is a good idea, Julia. And our UPS and FedEx drivers, who are working long hours to get things to people. All the health care workers and first responders, and all the grocery store employees and delivery people. My friend’s ER doc son who got drive-through testing and telemed off the ground for his Florida hospital and is spending long hours away from his wife and three-year-old. And I’m with Julia on all the folks that are entertaining the rest of us from their living rooms.

Your turn Reds, who are your heroes right now?

And one more thing, we miss seeing our friends in person so much, but hoped you might like to share our first zoom...thanks for being with us today and every day you can!



85 comments:

  1. Ladies, you’ve all pretty well covered the list of the heroic people who step up in these uncertain times.
    Doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, and fire personnel . . . grocery store people, including those who try to keep the shelves stocked [my brother is one of those; John works in store maintenance] . . . ministers who’ve moved to online church services [and worked out a plan for communion] . . . delivery people who bring mail, packages, food . . . the restaurants who make food for us to pick up curbside . . . wonderful neighbors . . . and all the people who simply stay home like everyone in the know says we need to do . . . .

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    1. You’ve got it right Joan! In other days we wouldn’t have even thought about the person who stocks the shelves. In these times, every one of us knows how crucial that job is

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    2. An old friend is stocking Walmart shelves after a stroke left him unable to do his former job, and my brother-in-law is, too. They are working super hard right now. Good call, Joan.

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    3. RIght now I'm waiting for a Peapod delivery (I put in the order 3 weeks ago) SO grateful to the stockers and drivers who make it possible.

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    4. Yes on everyone who is staying home, Joan!

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    5. Joan, yes on everyone who is staying home and all of the heroes out there!

      Diana

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  2. I'm glad you brought up ministers. My brother is a minister, and I'm good friends with the minister at my church. (I live in a different town hours away from my brother, or I'd be at his church.) They are trying to figure out the technology to stream their services, sometimes on the fly. And they are rising to the occasion. It's going to be important for our long term mental health.

    That one hits close to home for me, but yes, medical professionals. They are on the front lines. And I'm very thankful for those who work in grocery stores and trucking, trying to get things to stores for us.

    So many people stepping up during this time.

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    1. It’s absolutely astonishing how many people have adapted to providing what we need online. Stay well Mark!

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    2. Mark, there are so many wonderful people stepping up! Stay well!

      Diana

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  3. The Reds have covered the main list of heroes who are helping/supporting all of us during the pandemic and the age of stay-at-home/social distancing.

    But here in Canada, our politicians and public health officials have been heroes from the beginning. Every day, PM Trudeau has had daily briefings in a calm, supportive manner. The federal government has quickly developed an economic and health plan for all. coordinated with disparate provinces/territories and shown strong leadership. Same is true (big surprise here) for our premier in Ontario who before the COVID-19 crisis was doing abysmally in the polls and antagonizing so many people in the province. Our federal, provincial and city health officials have also given clear daily briefings and urging everyone to take this pandemic seriously.

    Musicians and other artists have had their livelihood devastated by the cancellations of live performances (big and small). Our National Arts Centre, along with two philanthropists quickly raised $300,000 to fund small grants for artists to conduct livestream performances online until the end of May. And these online performances and others certainly bring a bit of joy to us each day.

    And speaking of musicians, some rappers I never heard of, started a challenge and in 1 day, they raised $310,000 for the Ottawa Food Bank (originally $170,000 but funds raised were matched by several business leaders and philanthropists).

    And yesterday, the Queen gave a rare speech to Britain and the Commonwealth. With over 80 years of experience, she certainly knows what it means to stay strong and disciplined. Her reassuring words were what we needed to hear.


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    1. I love your list Grace! So wonderful that your politicians in Canada have stepped up. And it’s very interesting that someone who was either unpopular or a noon before the coronavirus horror suddenly becomes a hero. I bet there will be books written about this transition. And you are spot on with singers and musicians! Writers too...

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    2. Of course, writers are on the list, too! I am so far behind on my reading, but I do have an ARC of The Key Lime Crime as a comfort read when I get my reading mojo back!

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    3. I have lost my reading mojo too😳😷

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    4. Lucy, for a while I had lost my reading mojo until I stumbled upon a children's book that had been on my reading list for a while. I found it on one of my many book stacks in my room.

      THE GIRL WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS by Matt Haig.

      Diana

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    5. Grace, I love your list! My recently widowed in law is also a musician and he has been raising money too. So many artists, including musicians and writers have had to cancel their events! How lucky Canada is to have Trudeau. Our governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is a lot like Trudeau. He stepped up BIG time!

      Diana

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  4. Adding to the list: Sanitation workers, govt employees at the local, county & State level who keep the infrastructure running, people who maintain the internet - I would be lost w/o it --airline workers -- Delta who owns 17% of the market is losing $50 million A DAY. their first employee died two days ago, the first flight attendant tested positive on Saturday, any essential small business owner who has chosen to remain open to serve the public, my car repair man AJ is open for example,
    and finally my daughters Deb in CA a mandated worker --MA for Kaiser, who takes the time to monitor my Facebook page and answer medical questions and Amy who lives with me, and helps me find lost items like my bathrobe and yesterday my left hearing aid.
    Many thanks to y'all my dear JWR's hosts who have read my posts and also the BTL readers who also are chatting with me. palms together (so that is what your homes look like

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    1. Yes the sanitation workers! In the mail people! And can you imagine what a wreck we would be without the Internet? Unthinkable. And just so you know, some of us put on make up for that zoom meeting and others of us did not LOL

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  5. All of the above. Plus indy bookstores still shipping books - and in my case, delivering them - so we have something to read. Hugh is out at the grocery store's Senior Hour right now wearing one of my homemade masks (we stretched our need for more fresh food to almost two weeks), so thanks to the workers who are keeping necessary stores open. And to the electric company workers - imagine if we didn't have power on top of all this?

    Love seeing your Zoom party!

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    1. Thanks Edith! Boy your senior hours at the grocery store start early! It’s so bizarre how every conversation we have with people is dominated by how we are coping…

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  6. Oh yes electricity —I will confess, sometimes I give my freezer a little love tap as I walk by.

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  7. So many heroes out there that I don't know where to begin.

    Andrew Cuomo, whose daily new conferences feel like I'm in the arms of my grandfather telling me we got this.

    Staci and Cheryl across the street, RNs on the front line.

    My granddaughter, Ally, a PA in Urgent Care, only two years out of school, and she has to determine who gets tested and who doesn't.

    My daughter Melinda, USPS, exposed every day, heart stopping for me.

    My friend Cheryl who puts on her hazmat gear and gets our shopping done, whose dog walking jobs have disappeared but who won't take money for the errands she does, says pay it forward.

    For every single person who is in essential jobs, who are taking care of us all, making sure we have food, utilities, health care, mail, city services, and state and local governments to keep things rolling.

    And for the Queen, whose speech last night was almost as comforting as Governor Cuomo is daily.

    How I miss President Obama.

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    1. Almost forgot two of my major heroes!

      Black Button Distillery, who immediately converted to making hand sanitizer only, a trend which has taken off across the country. Kudos!

      And Donut Delight, a local family owned donut shop that has been here forever, maker of the Fauci Donut, made the national news and the Jimmy Kimmel Show!

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    2. Oh Ann, what flavor is the Fauci Donut? I missed that!

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    3. It's a cake donut, covered in buttercream that has a picture of Fauci printed on it, edible of course, and covered with red, white and blue sprinkles.

      https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/28/coronavirus-new-york-dr-anthony-fauci

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  8. Two of my older nephews are truckers--long hours away from their families and limited facilities on the road. Some of my heroes are those people posting food services and parking/showers for the truckers. During a storm this weekend, I was especially thankful for electric power--thinking of all the food we'd lose if it went out. And what that would mean in terms of having to go out again. And I'm thankful for the JRW community--just touching base here every day is a moment of normalcy.

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    1. Drivers have such a hard job! thanks for bringing our attention to that...and we're so glad you're here with us!

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    2. There was a piece in the NYT a couple of weeks ago by a truck stop owner in the middle of the country, pointing out how essential their jobs were. No truck stops means no truckers means no food or supplies--so many things we take for granted, but perhaps won't from now on...

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  9. Ann, thanks for that last one!
    All the people and workers that you have all mentioned and the thoughtful politicians, too. Our CT governor has been terrific.
    I'd like to especially thank my roommate of 39 years for being flexible and understanding while I spend hours on the internet or with a book. My husband has really dug deep to continue to be a rock in spite of where we live, on the very edge of the disaster zone.
    Getting weepy. (I really need to get out more.)
    Stay safe and well.

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  10. So many heroes. It's heartwarming to see how people are stepping up, isn't it? Those who are flagrantly defying orders to stay distant get way too much of the attention, I'm afraid.

    I had a conversation with our UPS driver of 20 years the other day, from 15 feet apart. He said he's maintaining, and wearing some truly horrible gloves because they have a rough, tacky surface that keeps him from touching his face. Our letter carrier is a woman, and since our area has no sidewalks, she drives a truck from box to box. But she waves her blue-gloved hand at me if I'm out when she makes the stop here. I think I'll tape a thank you note to the inside of our mailbox door to her, too.

    I agree with all the above, but one aspect of the medical profession and machine that is vital, yet rarely gets notice, is the vast battalion of maintenance and housekeeping staff who scours and sanitizes--at great risk to themselves--hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, hotels, the restaurants providing food for takeout right now, and grocery stores. Without them, the whole system falls apart.

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    1. And how could I forget to thank Ohio's and Kentucky's wonderful governors, who have both been incredibly on the ball, and doing everything possible to hold the line on new infections here. I did not vote for Mike DeWine, but he is exactly the governor Ohio needed right now, and Andy Beshear is a far, far better leader right now than his self-interested predecessor would have been.

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    2. Karen, so agree on DeWine and Beshear--DeWine said he was listening to the scientific experts and gives clear updates every day. Can't fault him for being a Republican :-)

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    3. Kentucky came so close to not having Beshear--the horrible former governor, Matt Bevin, contested the close election. Luckily, common sense and honor prevailed in the case of the most votes, and Beshear was able to take the win.

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    4. Living in Kentucky, I'm thankful every day for Andy Beshear being our governor now. If Matt Bevin were still governor, we'd have a death sentence. Karen, it was a close election, but Kentucky finally got a break. Now, if we can just get McConnell, Paul, and Massey out.

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  11. I'm grateful for all the persons already mentioned ( so many we didn't think of before ).
    In Quebec, our premier is also a rock star with his daily appearance on TV, being firm and and unifying, a true leader and our new hero is Dr Arudo , public health director ( with his team he works night and day in this fight against the virus).

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    1. A long time ago I worked for the USPHS, public health nurse. I don't think everyone knows how much this service provides, healthcare both in and of the community. I am thankful for our county director, Dr. Mendoza.

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  12. My sister, who is handling her 17-month-old son, while managing her online classes and IT for her small Catholic school, all while handling being an unexpected widow at the age of 38.

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    1. I am so sorry she's had this happen. Heartbreaking.

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    2. Thanks, Hallie. It was not COVID related, but it was very unexpected.

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    3. Oh, Liz, I am so sorry for your sister's loss. Widowhood sucks. Please tell her there are women she doesn't even know praying for her.

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    4. Liz, that would be me along with Gigi. Widowhood does suck, and, like this dreadful pandemic, there's no way around it - you just have to endure until things get better.

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    5. Liz, condolences on your sister's loss.

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  13. Loved seeing the zoom photos! Now I can think of that going on all day long!

    Lucy, I am glad you mentioned Cuomo. I have never been a fan of his but I, too, am so impressed with him and his talks to us. Especially if one compares him to other sort of similar but not really "briefings" of another leader.

    Besides the heroes everyone is mentioning will be my neighbors who can't do enough for me. Going to the pharmacy and standing in line is something I want to avoid and they are very willing to help me however I need it.

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  14. Oh yes, I have to add the queen also! Exactly what’s needed in a leader!

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    1. Rhys, I loved her speech, and I really appreciated the way she's a living link to the last great world crisis. Not many of her generation left.

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    2. Rhys, I loved her speech and I agree with Julia. I just learned that after the Queen's speech was televised, the Prime Minister checked into the hospital because he was stricken with the COVID 19.

      Diana

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  15. Ladies, you all look fabulous on Zoom. I'll bet that was a great conversation.

    Thank you, Grace, for remembering the musicians. I've sat safely at home, watching my musician colleagues try to cope as their livelihoods are gutted: No schools, where many of them teach; no private lessons, except online where the sound quality is less than optimal; no gigs, as all concerts, bars, and churches are shut down. And yet, the most-shared videos on Facebook are inspiring musical performances as musicians find ways to patch together ensembles remotely, for play all the parts themselves.

    The Dallas Winds has postponed all public performances until maybe July 4 or maybe October 23. The staff is working half time, on half pay, from home. When we all decide it's safe to go out in public again, please remember that the performing arts are on life support right now. If you have ever felt inspired or uplifted by music, if you have ever taken heart because you adopted a theme song to get you through, remember us. Donate if you can, but please come see us again when this over. We hope we'll still be here for you.

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    1. I think about performing artists every day, Gigi, and I hope when this is over and we can come out of our hobbit holes again, people will remember the beauty and generosity of musicians, actors, dancers making art for free and sending it out over the internet to uplift and inspire us.

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  16. All those wonderful hard working people who are suddently finding themselves essential after too many years of attempting to live on a less than adequate wage. This country owes these workers and I hope we see some changes come from this.

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    1. Kaye, you're so right. This truly gives everyone a chanc to see who the REALLY vital people in our economy are (hint: not the high-rollers in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate.)

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    2. Kaye, you are so right! We all are finding out who the heroes are!

      Julia, Agreed!

      Diana

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  17. Though I'm not in need of this at this time but the property owners who are making adjustments available for those who are without the funds to pay the rent and the promise of no evictions. My sister who actually said that her tenant does not have to pay his rent if it keeps him healthy and well. The health workers that go into patient's homes so the patients might stay out of the hospital. And the same staff who volunteered for the work pool in the hospitals when we don't have enough patients in their specialties. The people who stay at home, observing in shelter protocols, so that those who have to be out, doing those essential jobs, are exposed as few numbers of people as possible. And all the touchy feely stuff on line and TV that makes me cry because it's supposed make us all feel more positive and better.

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    1. Thanks for those additions! So many people supporting the rest of us in a quiet way

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  18. I think you'v eovred it all, and thank you. A little weepy here.

    Cuomo is my governor and not always well liked,so interesting he has become a hero. And Queen E! Bravo to them both,showing us what leadership mean. Plus, let's hear it for Captain Cozier, a Profile in Courage for our time. And finally, agreeing with so many others - maybe this will highlight how important some underpaid and ( often) badly treated workers actually are to our society.

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  19. I'm pretty sure that everyone has covered every possible group to be thankful for so I don't really have anything to add to that checklist.

    As for what's going on in my limited circle:

    I grew up the son of a cop so I have a naturally learned respect for all the first responders. My sister works as a police dispatcher and while she is disrespectfully classified as a clerk, in times of crisis, they get treated as they should be which is a first responder. I mean think about it, who is more of a FIRST responder than the person who answers the phone when you dial 911? I have another friend who is a dispatcher supervisor for the state police as well.

    I have a few friends that are nurses either in hospitals or homes. Two are adult friends that I've made in the last couple of years. But at least two of them are girls I coached when they were younger. Hell, one I've known since she was 3 years old. So I'm worried about their safety as you might expect.

    I've been checking in with various people over the last couple of weeks to make sure they are okay and a couple of times I went out to track down some items they needed and got them to them. I'm not normally one for being all touch-feely nice for no reason but for those that I care about on some level, I do what I can.

    I've been watching the news in small doses and if this ever ends, I really hope someone figures out how to throw every SOB in the US and UK who have enabled this to become what it has in jail for the rest of their natural born lives...the corrupt murderous thieving liars that they are.

    And with that I'm going back to watch a documentary on Lynyrd Skynyrd and rebuild my damaged calm.

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    1. Jay, I think you said what we are all feeling!! And I couldn't agree with you more about dispatchers. My husband was a dispatcher and dispatch/communication supervisor for ten years, and they are indeed absolutely essential.

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    2. Good work Jay! I am certain your friends and neighbors appreciate your care

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  20. Dear Jungle Reds, everyone you mentioned are heroes!!!

    For us, it is Governor Gavin Newsom of California. He ordered a shelter in place weeks before other places in the USA did that. He made sure that EVERYONE, including the homeless, have shelter in place.

    There are many, many, many heroes! Our neighbors have offered to help! One family - the father works for the Health Department and the mother runs a school. Another family has four young children - all under the age of 15 and the mother is a teacher. Both families have offered to help with groceries. So far, we are OK. We went to the Grocery Store during senior hours. The grocers are our heroes. The local pharmacy delivers. The people working at the Post Office and the delivery workers. The fire department and the police department are still working. Our Doctors and Nurses working 24/7 are our heroes. Our teachers working to reach children who do NOT always have access to the Internet by driving all over to deliver materials. People who still clean the buildings. There are many, many, many more heroes out there.

    Very grateful for our pastor who is still conducting services online and I was able to access the services online over at YouTube and the videos had closed caption, which I am VERY grateful for! Very grateful to Bar Method for continuing to teach classes online!

    Yesterday I saw a photo on Instagram of many signs on the window thanking many different people who are doing essential work during this pandemic!

    Diana

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  22. I would add vets and their staffs. Our vet has closed his clinic except for prescription pickup, as he is high risk due to respiratory issues. But many others are still working, seeing clients with urgent needs. And hats off to the volunteers in animal shelters!

    On a more local note, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and our McKinney mayor George Fuller, both of whom issued stay at home orders much sooner than the state required and have undoubtedly saved many lives.

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    1. Deborah, they are heroes! I forgot to mention another hero - Captain Crozier who risked his career to save his crew. Many of his crew were stricken with COVID 19 and now he has the virus.

      Diana

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    2. Absolutely on Captain Dozier! I think I read in a headline this morning that he is now tested positive?

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  23. How did I leave off the US Postal Service? They are amazing! I mean they have to touch EVERYTHING! Yikes!!!

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    1. Jenn,

      This morning from 6 feet distance, I saw our regular UPS delivery person deliver packages and he was wearing gloves and mask.

      Diana

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  24. What about Gavin Newsom, the first governor to lead and make the tough decision to lock down California?
    We appear to be flattening the curve significantly here in the Bay Area. I find his measured and quiet speeches, with significant data the best that I have seen,

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    1. Susan,

      Yes! I just mentioned him in my comment above. Thank you!

      Diana

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    2. Yes, I agree with you! Hope you are well in North Bay!
      My husband and I live in the southern most part of the Bay Area. . He is working twelve hour days trying to keep the KP hospitals supplied. I’m still seeing legal clients on an emergency basis.

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  25. I know you mentioned health care workers, but I want to lift up the hospice workers who are still going into people's homes to help those on their death beds - they truly are ministering angels to the famililies who don't know where to turn in times like these.

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    1. Yes! They are heroes too!

      Diana

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    2. Yes it’s amazing that that kind of work has to go on even in the midst of a pandemic. There is a lot of grief that will have to be processed after we come out the other side.

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  26. May I nominate another group? The many, many thousands of people making homemade masks to supplement the pitiful lack of PPEs in hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities.

    My daughter the nurse says her hospital in Detroit does not want them, but I've seen others asking for them. And many places need masks for individuals: visitors, patients, and janitorial and housekeeping staff, who might not need sterile masks, but something they can launder daily, or wear over other, more precious masks that could be recycled if kept clean.

    And if you make masks for others, please keep at least two per family member for yourselves.

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    1. Our gym trainer is a talented seamstress and she has just made two of the masks for John and me, along with many others. So we are grateful for that!

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  27. Ann's comment about Gov. Cuomo's daily briefings making her feel "like I'm in the arms of my grandfather telling me we got this" brought tears to my eyes! So many of the folks already named are on my list. To add another, my local library has created an Adult Group and a Childrens Group on Facebook so we can share videos, craft sessions, books. Hooray for what they're doing. Teachers scrambling to provide internet contents--may we NEVER take teachers for granted ever again.

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    1. Oh yes Emily, our Key West library is running tons of programs online – more local heroes. And I should also shout out to our mayor who takes a lot of heat for making decisions that limit us but protect us. It’s such a hard job right now

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  28. Coming into the discussion at this point, it looks like everyone has covered those brave workers who affect us all with their continued drive to provide care and services. The doctors, nurses, governors, mayors, teachers, postal workers, grocery store workers, journalists, news casters, television personnel behind the scenes, pharmacies, property owners waving rent at this time, cleaners who work at medical and other places, maintenance workers, truck drivers, the police, firefighters, EMTs, restaurant workers still feeding us, and so many more. I'm sure I missed some of who were named. Kaye made a great point that we owe major change for those workers who struggle to get by on less than a livable wage when this mess is over. And, I know that many parents are discovering how important teachers are, as they take over their children's educations. So many people who were taken for granted are now viewed as the important workers they have always been.

    I have to give a shout-out to our Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, who has been one of the most pro-active governors during this crisis. He actually cares about the citizens of our state, and from the first days has been taking measures to protect us. And, I am grateful every day for him, because if we still had Matt Bevin in the governor's office, Kentuckians would be facing an early death for sure.

    In my own family, my son is still working at Amazon, in the warehouse, and that's become a stressful situation. Amazon is actually being decent about increasing the wages and allowing employees time off and staggering starting times. While happy to have work, my son is in a situation where COVID-19 cases are popping up now, and that would be a concern to anyone. Again, so far Amazon seems to be dealing with matters effectively, but I worry about my son, of course. So, as we order online from the safety of our homes, there are people who are fulfilling those orders and getting them to us.

    I love the Zoom pics of all the Reds. That must have been fun. I haven't had an opportunity to do a Zoom session yet, but I am doing FaceTime with the younger granddaughter, and that's so much fun.

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    1. I don't want to 'shout out Ron DiSantes; I want to shout at. The whole nation knows why.

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    2. Right there with you, he’s been a huge disappointment

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  29. I think Governor Wolf is doing well but our Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine is the one I like to hear from. She is very calming and reassuring. Bless all the people mentioned.

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  30. Hear, hear! There are so many everyday heroes out there in the world. Too many to name or count. But I will never take any person out there doing their job, whatever is, for granted again. Each and every one is providing a valuable, potentially lifesaving service. And might I add to the list each and every writer and artist continuing to provide the creative sustenance we all need to get through this and come out the other side still human, more importantly, still humane!

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