What a year we will never forget.  So my son and his wife decided that 21 March 2020 will be the day that she becomes part of the Badies family.  Little did we know that a small little prickly pear looking virus was heading our way.  Honeymoon planned tickets bought and Mauritius here they come.

Then the news broke and panic set in. Do they still go on honeymoon, what was the number of infections in Mauritius, what was the numbers in Kenya – their lay over airport?  Do we continue with the wedding – everything was paid for.  Luckily we only had 60 guests.   My son still held out hope for the honeymoon – of course!!  Then the airports started shutting down and it became clear that the honeymoon was off the table – the week of the wedding – so was alcohol sales after 18:00.

Day of the wedding and grandma had bronchitis.  Being as stubborn as she is and it being her eldest grandson getting married, she wasn’t planning on missing the event.  Needless to say, through all the coughing and people walking circles around her, grandma did not have to stand in queues anywhere.  And through the coughing my son said “I do” and for a few hours we did not think of anything else than celebrating this day.  Let me tell you, one can have a great wedding without alcohol, so we discovered.

I was determined to only leave the ship with my manager, not a minute earlier so I greeted the Head Office building on 26 March.

At first it was fun working from home.  Hubby also works at Sanlam, so we are both now working from home.   My youngest is also home as Stellenbosch University also closed its doors over this period.

I am a Personal Assistant, and assisting is my job.  Soon it became clear that without face to face interaction my day was not the same.  So I started baking, fixing up our home and doing my garden – everything I could think of to avoid what was happening around me. This is difficult, I won’t lie.  Everybody that knows me will know that I am a people person, getting my energy from people – the bigger the crowd the more my energy.

But this period forced me to sit still, be still and re-evaluate my life. Spiritually, I am stronger and more appreciative for what I have, and more sensitive to the people around me and what they need.

This is just another season in our lives and we will get through it.  For now, till I see you all again, we will speak via Microsoft teams and book coffee dates – me in my little corner and you in yours – my Sanlam family.