Member-only story
I have come to appreciate the platform Zoom. It enables one to keep in touch, which is particularly important during the pandemic.
My immigrant parents are long gone. I was orphaned in my 30s.
My siblings, who are all still fortunately alive and reasonably well, and I have been meeting weekly on Zoom for months. We are spread all over the USA, from the West in states like WA and CA, to the East in states like TN and MD.
I now know more about family members than I did before the pandemic, when we kept in touch sporadically, and mainly by e-mail.
In some ways this seems better. Information is communicated immediately, and we can see each other. In general, that seems a good thing. I do prepare a bit for meetings, being careful to always don the newsboy cap I wear as a kindness to others.
Despite some of us having different political leanings, we pretty much see eye to eye when it comes to matters of ultimate concern.
I can see and hear them, although the connection isn’t always optimal.
Some log in with desktop computers. Others often have smaller, more portable devices.
One sister and her husband host the meetings. They pay to have the platform, which they also use to keep in contact with their…
