VACCINE PROVIDES NEW HOPE TO ARLINGTON’S RETURN TO NORMAL March 12, 2021

ARLINGTON’S RETURN TO NORMAL

The past twelve months have been both bizarre and deadly serious at the same time.  The coronavirus pandemic has been unlike anything that any of us have witnessed unless, that is, you’re an Ultra-Centenarian.  In many ways, the strategies we’ve employed to navigate our way through the pandemic have produced “workarounds” that work but are frequently poor facsimiles of the way we lived pre-pandemic.  On the other hand, we live in an age when technology has enabled us to continue  getting things done using new methods, like video conferencing, that will no doubt remain an essential factor in our future lives.  It’s a very mixed bag.

However, the interruption of normalcy, the new workarounds and everything else we’ve confronted has paled in comparison to the utter misery due to the destructive illness and death wrought by Covid-19. The horrid soberness of the loss has been absolutely surreal and difficult to process.

Here at Arlington we’ve witnessed the intense sadness of loss deepened ever more so by the restrictions placed on visitations, memorial services and funeral gatherings – all limited due to the legitimate concerns of communal spread associated with large gatherings.  Consequently, honoring and grieving the life of the deceased, at least in widely accepted customs, has been yet another victim of the pandemic.

Fortunately, the now available vaccines hold the promise that, if not in weeks, then perhaps within a matter of months, we can begin reopening our operations, providing services again that more closely resemble or match those of the pre-pandemic days.

The return to normalcy also means that we are likely, at some point this year, to resume some of our extracurricular activities.  We deeply believe that Arlington is not only a place of remembrance for those laid to rest here, but also a place for the living.  So, when the time is right we’ll resume things like our remembrance services, concerts, and other activities that bring people together here at the memorial park and help us form the Arlington Community.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to provide the best services and meaningful experiences to the extent that is possible given these strange times.