10 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER May 2021
Charbonneau moms reconvene with children
More than a year into the pandemic , newly vaccinated families rejoin in person
By CLARA HOWELL
More than a year has passed since the first case of COV- ID-19 was identified in Oregon . And for many families , it ’ s been a tough year full of distance and isolation .
With Mother ’ s Day right around the corner , some families are looking forward to finally meeting with their mothers in person again this year .
Ann Higgins , a Charbonneau resident who does the bookkeeping for 10 homeowners associations in the community , has two children and was thrilled to spend time with them again this spring .
“ Our daughter lives in Seattle with her fiance and our son and his wife live in Southern California ,” Ann said . “ It ’ s been tough because usually we fly down and see the kids in California a couple items a year , and they come up .”
Ann said she ’ d typically see her son and his wife , who are both teachers , during their winter and spring breaks for an extended trip . Ann said that she and her daughter have had the opportunity to go on neighborhood walks occasionally during the pandemic but it ’ s been “ mostly phone calls and Zoom where we can visit , and that ’ s been nice in that we can be on a Zoom call with all of them at the same time ,” she said . “ It ’ s just not the same as getting a hug in person .”
Ann said she feels lucky to have gotten to have taken a couple family trips with her children over the last year after they either quarantined or were partially vaccinated . But now she hopes to see them more .
She was thrilled when her son and wife visited in April for their spring break . It was the first time Ann saw her daughter-in-law pregnant in person . And with her daughter getting married this July , Ann said the family has a lot to celebrate .
“ With them both living out of town all the time , I ’ ve gotten used to doing telephone conversations ,” Ann said . “ There ’ s just nothing like actually spending time in person with someone .”
But this Mother ’ s Day , Ann said , will be special .
COURTESY PHOTO
Janet Moore is pictured here with family members prior to the COVID-19 pandemic . She is now vaccinated and looking forward to seeing her family more .
“ I ’ m going to spend Mother ’ s Day weekend in Seattle with our daughter this year so this is kind of our Mother ’ s Day celebration with my son since they ’ re in town ,” said Ann prior to the Villager ’ s deadline April 10 .
Charbonneau resident Janet Moore saw her son for the first time in over a year in April . Janet has three children and four grandchildren , and hadn ’ t seen any of them in over a year .
Now that Janet has received her COV- ID-19 vaccinations , she felt comfortable planning a trip to visit her son who lives in Hawaii . As of the Villager ’ s deadline , she was scheduled to visit him mid-April .
“ When I received my second shot , I felt like the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders ,” Janet said . “ It was quite a burden to not be able to do some things I had done my whole life without permission , without this , without that , and I ’ m tired of it .”
Janet has another son who lives in Bend and she plans to see him when she returns from Hawaii . She and her daughter , who resides in Colorado , plan to go on a vacation soon as well .
“ Things are looking up ,” Janet said . “ It ’ s hard to not be around your family , however , we have wonderful communication . I talk to them regularly . We FaceTime . It has worked out OK .”
Janet said it was difficult to see people spending time with their families throughout the pandemic , while she was unable to see hers .
“ I ’ m sure if my children lived around me I wouldn ’ t talk to them as much as I do based on the fact they ’ re gone ,” Janet said . “ I know I ’ m very blessed . My kids are all good kids , good people , family-oriented and that in itself is a blessing .”
“ When I received my second shot , I felt like the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders .”
— Janet Moore