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Why I can’t let Covid dampen my spirits.

People are understandingly finding this year difficult for lots of reasons. We all are. The reason why I keep my head up and keep going while remaining compliant to government recommendations is because of:

Edward Haines. He’s my great grandad. He died was I was only 8, but I remember him well. Edward Haines had more adventures by the time he was 24 than most of us have in our entire lives.

He tried to join the RAF so he could fight in our defence during the Battle of Britain and was sent to Rhodesia and then Canada to learn to fly. He wasn’t suitable to be a pilot and was too late for the Battle of Britain so he joined bomber command back in England as an Air Gunner.

On his return he found out that his younger siblings had all been forced to leave their families behind as evacuees to go live in the country away from the nightly bombings Plymouth was suffering and that his parents both worked around the clock in munitions factories.

He spent most of the war with 106 Squadron going out every night over the freezing skies over Germany trying to take the fight back to the Nazis. He had stories enough to right a book about both the happy times he had with his crew and the horrific things he saw. On one occasion he was shot down and spent two days in the North Sea alone with a piece of his turret imbedded in his face. We he returned to his squadron he was told he was the only survivor of his crew. He particularly suffered the loss of his close friend, an Australian navigator who had plans to buy a farm in England after the war.

He survived the war. Hoping to marry a girl he met 3 years earlier but the RAF kept him overseas, first ferrying home American prisoners of war and then transporting cargo to Asia to fight the Japanese.

Finally. At the ripe old age of 24 he settle back home in the south west, bought a garage and raised a family.

He did all that even though he was afraid, even though he was angry, even though his life was put on hold, even though he couldn’t see his family. And he still had time to focus on what was important. How can I be his family and shirk this?

So yes I will wear a mask. I will stay home as much as I can. I will spend Christmas at home without family if I have to and I will keep going. I hope you all find something in you that keeps you safe and happy during this time.
JeanAnna · F
Thank you for a very nice post of encouragement.

My Thanksgiving will be quite different, my extended family is getting together as though nothing has happened. But me and my husband will be staying home, I'll fix a Thanksgiving meal for the two of us, and pray that the rest of them will be safe and we can all be together next Thanksgiving.

I always host Christmas Eve just for my kids, but that might have to change as well. I don't want anyone getting sick.
JeanAnna · F
@SirenCalledLuce lol Santa hasn't been stopping at our house for a long time, my kids are grown. But my tree is already up, not decorated yet, the presents are bought, and I'm hoping that everyone is still healthy and we can get together like we do every year.
@JeanAnna fingers crossed. It is the time of year for little miracles after all.
JeanAnna · F
@SirenCalledLuce Thank you very much. Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. ❤️
SW-User
We need to reminded the sacrifices others made before us to allow us to be here..

My Dad's Dad was in WW1 on the front at the Somme he was gassed. He was prominent in the union movement through the 20s and 30s. He died in 44 from a lung infection, probably the gas still eventually killed him. By then my dad was building ships for the navy.

My other granddad was on the Atlantic convoys, he lost a finger to frost bite. He was sunk and assumed dead but he was picked up by another ship who's radio had been ruined in the action. He walked into their house filthy and in pain with the hand two days after they'd assumed he was dead. Within 4 days he was back at sea minus the finger.

So I can't buy a few luxuries, have to wear a mask and not have people in my home... Big deal.

Fantastic post @SirenCalledLuce
@SW-User Awww I had a great uncle who was on the Atlantic convoys top. Very tough times. x
SW-User
This is a great post!

Thank you for taking the time to encourage others here who might be struggling during this time of year. Your great grandfather sounded like an amazing man. We always forget about the hardships other generations had to endure until someone reminds us of it. My father was only 17 when he joined the Marines. He married and had children late in life. He never talked about his experiences until the last 10 years of his life. At 21 he was injured. His stories were horrifying. Needless to say, the entire experience scarred him for life. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that he was a teenager who was turned into a killing machine. We're living a cushy life here in the U.S. and other westernized countries, because our ancestors fought for a way of life that we take for granted now.
@SW-User Sure, a know we can’t all be adventurers but it helps to draw stength doesn’t it?
SW-User
@SirenCalledLuce Absolutely. A little positivity when people are struggling goes a long way IMHO.
windinhishair · 61-69, M
People like your great-grandfather had much hardship in their lives, yet persevered and prospered. They were dedicated, resolute, with a spirit that allowed them to do what needed to be done. Now it is our turn with the coronavirus to prove we are worthy of their sacrifices. Bless you for doing what needs to be done, just as your great-grandfather did. He would be proud.
@windinhishair Thank you. Keep the faith. One day we will look back on this and think how good we have things.
Miram · 31-35, F
My respect to your grandfather ❤️
Johnblackthorn · 56-60, M
There was a time when this country consisted of two types of people, those that think and those that do,most of us can be proud to have them as our grandparents and parents, unfortunately a third type of person has been encouraged to develop, they're incapable of coherent thought, incapable of achievement and incapable of shutting up because they have someone else's opinion.
The covid lifestyle is easy once you accept the limitations of infection control and follow the advice,my only complaintis that occasionallywe have to change plans because some people don't know what self isolation means,12 days ago a unknowingly covid+ boiler engineer visited a house and spent the day there mixing with builders, home owners and me,a few day's later we all got the news and started making calls to change the next few weeks and to let people know,to my knowledge 30 people were exposed, 2 are in hospital, my bubble of workers and family are so far unaffected, all because one guy thought he could have a boiler serviced while self isolating.
You might ask why in such a large group the covid app missed everything,it didn't,we dont all have it but the self isolating guy did, but he turned his phone off because he's not going out!
@Johnblackthorn I think the problem folk are a minority, but they have the capacity to spoil it for us all.
Johnblackthorn · 56-60, M
@SirenCalledLuce it's always the way.
I am going to wear a mask an do the proper common sense things but I am not going to let this China Plague steal my time - you can't buy time back. Let's just leave it at that....
MrBrownstone · 46-50, M
What’s the point of living. It has a 99% recovery rate?
Miram · 31-35, F
@MrBrownstone You're being a little bitch.

You all whine about others FORCING you to wear masks, when in reality it's you harass those who are following regulations , and not the other way around.
SW-User
@MrBrownstone Why on earth do you feel compelled to shit all over someone's post who is trying to offer up some positivity? Don't you know the old expression: "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all?" Please stop it.
JeanAnna · F
@MrBrownstone You might be the 1% that doesn't recover.
btchstfu · F
Feliz navidad
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