My grandma’s jaw dropped to the floor as we stood at her doorstep for the first time in a year and a half. Hugs and kisses flew as we rushed through her door. Excitement shimmered through the air.  I squeezed my grandma giving her the biggest bear hug and nestling my neck into all of her warmth.  The best part of the embrace was pressing my cheek to hers without a mask. My grandma’s face was beaming as she began simultaneously crying and laughing from the shock of seeing us and the overjoy she was filled with. Mission accomplished. 

My sisters, my mom, my aunt and I had driven to see her for the first time since the pandemic. Covid 19 made it very difficult to see her, and family in general for a very long time because we did not want to risk getting her sick. Recently, she had texted in our family group chat that she was fully vaccinated and that’s when we began planning our trip. Sunday morning was our planned arrival date because my family had an old tradition on Sundays, that we wanted to pick back up on this particular weekend for old times sake. Typically, when my family gets together, it is usually a crazy time. Our family has always been full of chaos, excitement, and entertainment, but on Sundays, we would all come together, crazy aside, and just appreciate calm, valuable time together. Before corona virus hit, “sunday funday” was our favorite thing to do to get together, cook a nice meal, eat and play games. Since this was our first time all being together in so long, we could see the happiness glowing from my grandma when we surprised her and told her we were having a sunday funday again. It was the first taste of normalcy we were getting to experience as a family again. “I am so ecstatic you guys planned this trip to come see me,” my grandma said. “I missed you all so much.” She even began to cry a little, as we sat around the living room and chatted, trying to catch up on so much lost time. Dinner time rolled around, and the kitchen was craziness with all hands on deck trying to help get the recipes together. Spices were flying, pots and pans were banging, and everyone had a job in the kitchen. Seeing all of us finally coming and working together again to make Sunday dinner, made me take a step back to just feel so lucky in that moment for everything I have. Being reunited, made me realize how grateful I really am for family, and being able to spend that quality time. Seeing people interacting, talking, smiling, cooking, and laughing all around me was such a refreshing feeling. I took a deep breath in, let it out, and just smiled. All around the house was filled with laughter, contemptment and joking, and spirits were soaring high. Sunshine flooded through the glass windows of the house, and cheerful voices reflected off of the lake of the New Hampshire cabin. Singing flowed through as well, when my aunt had set up rock band, which is a family favorite game. Joy sparkled through the halls of the house as we took turns on the microphone belting out songs, and playing the drums and guitar all together. 

Games and chatting continued while my grandma took over in the kitchen finishing up dinner. A very pleasant aroma filled the air as the food was almost done. The rush of comfort that came from eating together again was indescribable. My sisters and I set the table nicely, with pretty placements and our favorite plates and glasses. When the food was done, soap flew as we all washed our hands and took our seats at the table to say grace. My mom and grandma carried the beautiful chicken and pasta to the table, and everyone was so eager to just dig in and eat. However, looking around the table and at the food, I just felt so grateful to be able to spend this time with my family. Happiness danced around the table and in my head. Being with the people who bring me the utmost sense of safety, security, and joy was so delightful. Finally, no fighting, no drama, forgetting about the global pandemic for a minute, and just togetherness as we began to eat. “Made with love” my grandma added, as I took my first bite of her always delicious meal. Her food always was made with love, in fact,  and having our sunday tradition taken away really opened my eyes to the importance of family. That day, and all the long days leading up to it, taught me to cherish the big and small moments with the people I care about most and to be thankful for family everyday when I can. Making sunday dinners, obviously was not a big event, but for our family, sharing those moments is what brought us all closer. When corona virus took that away, there was a wave of sadness that crashed over us and we all missed that time together more than anything. In the end, we flourished and came out stronger because my family and I learned not to let the bad or the dysfunctional times define us. All of our family dinners and quality time spent on visits helped us realize the importance of family, and helped build our relationships stronger. Especially in the most difficult and unpredictable times, we learned to be more admiring and appreciative of one another all the time.