My first introduction to Covid-19 was on our cruise to the Virgin Islands in late February. We were scheduled to dock at St Lucia, but instead of arriving in port, the ship continued sailing. We later found out that a crew member had become sick and had been exposed to the Coronavirus before coming aboard. We had heard of Coronavirus and those quarantined to ships in other parts of the world, but this hit home really fast as the reality sunk in that we could be in that same situation.  Later in the day, a med-boat and crew wearing full hazmat suits boarded our ship to get a test sample that later proved negative. We thought we had dodged a bullet, continued our vacation and returned home on March 2, 2020.

A week later, we all were requested to social distance due to Covid-19. On March 23, we were told we could no longer work, play, or engage with those outside our immediate household by executive order. Only those deemed essential could continue operating. Confidence was replaced by confusion and uncertainty. The day we had to lay off our employees at Everett’s Landscape Management, Inc. was a tough one. Listening to my brother tell 100+ families and individuals that we no longer had the means to provide work for them was one of the hardest days of my life. I remember coming home and just falling into Todd’s arms and crying. The order meant we couldn’t hold our new grandson and five other grandchildren! The struggles since that day are repeat stories of every business owner and grandparent out there. Our hearts hurt for those affected, for families suffering loss, financial struggles with those fighting for unemployment, watching dreams of businesses slip away and not being able to see those we love!