The Vaccinated Gather

By Marylyn Cork

Mother’s Day on May 9 was almost, but not quite, just another day. Oh, we partied a lot, “we” meaning my family and friends. And we ate a lot, too. But we weren’t primarily celebrating Mother’s Day.

First on the agenda was a post-pandemic party that my eldest great-granddaughter, Khaliela, had proposed a couple of months earlier when both of her great-grandmothers had received their vaccinations. It had been a long time since the two of us had been sociable and seen much of anybody, even our loved ones.

Khaliela set the May 9 date for convenience’s sake, I assume. She and her eldest son had to come up from the Potlatch-Moscow area for the event and the other son from Spokane. By that time, most of the rest of that side of the family had also had their shots as well, and we were all about as safe as we could be. We met in Sandpoint at the other great-grandmother’s home, whose yard was a convenient place for everyone to gather. No worries about the weather, either. It doesn’t rain in northern Idaho any more—at least, it hasn’t for a while.