The days blur in this prolonged period of physical distancing and isolation. During the COVID-19 health crisis, we have all been forced to regroup. There is nothing normal about the new normal. Passover and Easter have been recreated and family gatherings have been completely altered. Birthdays, anniversaries, happy events and moments that evoke life’s sadness are strangely distanced and those true human emotions seem stifled. It is all disarming and is part of the difficulty of separation. We truly are social beings!
Our ability to gather is something we take for granted and so we find new ways of expression. Some work, some are oddly clumsy, but they all have meaning and during this time, even greater poignancy.
This a time of true reassessment of our priorities and of course, it is the little things that matter. It is checking in with our loved ones and fellow workers. It’s sharing and generosity. These are acts we do but now they have new meaning and when offered, show optimism in the face of fear, give hope, and above all promise.
Our First Responders, Firefighters, EMS, and Police showed this in a wonderful way by arriving in mass to “embrace” the hospital – completely encircling the building with all their trucks with sirens and lights ablaze. This was a way to show our folks at St Anthony Community how much we appreciate their valiant work.
It’s our friend Guy Bogart, who has put up signs of encouragement and an incredible American Flag in the field as you enter the Village. It’s our houses of worship who rang their bells throughout the Valley in unison this past Sunday sending a message of hope. And it’s the impromptu messages and signs that say thanks to our essential workers. These are just a sampling, they are forces of the human spirit, a Warwick spirit. We will get through this together, one community, one heart.
The next Village Board meeting will take place on Mon., Apr. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, located at 77 Main St. in Warwick, and will be held through Zoom videoconference and may be viewed live by the public on the Village’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VillageofWarwick.
The above column, written by Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard, has been published in the Apr. 15 issue of the Warwick Valley Dispatch.
