The Angelini Family

Hello everyone, for those of you who don’t know us, we are Patty and Mike Angelini. The attached photo is of our family: Patty and I, Nicholas, Patrick, Victoria, Jason and Jack.
For most of my life as a family man, going to work and providing for my family has been a “safe” and typical routine . The thought of ever ending that routine for whatever reason either stemmed from “fear” or “fantasy”. 
Since, the recent outbreak of Covid-19, and subsequent lockdown, it has given me/us, time to re-evaluate and prioritize what really matters the most in life when we’re faced with a crisis.
When the government issued guidelines regarding what people must do to protect their families, our three adult children Nicholas, Patrick and Victoria, immediately huddled together and came up with a game plan. 
Our middle child, Patrick, decided to be the QB, in terms of keeping the family safe, (we call him “the warden”). He surprised us with his uncanny ability to take a leadership role in the face of danger. It was quite obvious that there was a, “healthy fear” that we could possibly be in a perilous situation if we didn’t heed the call of cooperating and doing as we were told. 
Our son Nicholas flew home from a job he had abroad, as many other Canadians did. His faith and trust, and sense of responsibility brought him back home where he felt a need to be with family. Nicholas, is our eldest and, with that comes a whole different mindset and skill set. He complements his brother really well as they are a united front.
Initially, there was an adjustment period for us all: the roles were suddenly reversed. This in itself would normally pose a problem, as “pride” often times gets in the way. However, this being the “new normal”, the power shift was readily welcomed. The realization that we’re all on equal ground made it easier to transition from caregivers, to being “cared for”. 
Our youngest, Victoria, is just as determined as her siblings to keep us safe. She follows the rules and respects the safe distance protocol, for the safety of her family, and that of ours. Our safe distance visits, walks and even dinners keep us connected.
We communicate via messenger everyday and watch our grandson developing before our very eyes. Thanks to the technology, we are not strangers to our grandson. He looks right into the camera and expresses himself very well.
Jack, will officially turn one year old this weekend. The family is doing a drive by to celebrate his birthday. 
The stark reality of the lockdown is: 
we must not take one another for granted... we need to slow down... take time to smell the roses... serve others, especially those in need...
It may sound cliche, but it’s true.
This experience has thus far, begun to shape a new reality in our home: We take time to do things together. We share all of our meals together. We share meals with friends and family. It seems, that there are always dishes to be done. We play games once all the chores are finished. We seldom watch television. Everybody, takes a turn at making dinner. Our family is certainly honing their culinary skills. The house gets cleaned daily. There are a number of household projects in queue, that everybody is anxious to do. We’re sharing our grievances as they arise. We listen and respect where each other is at. We work hard at keeping it together, while we’re in tight quarters.
Patty and I study and do work assignments together from home. We try to learn something new everyday. Patty is doing a lot of baking. We’re all working on the Covid 19 weight gain. I’ve been studying Italian. There’s music in our home again. Patrick is writing a new song presently. Nicholas, is anxious to build raised beds for a garden. 
We read the bible daily, and say the rosary quite often. 
We lean on our friends and share our struggles, frustrations joys and accomplishments.
There is a great deal of suffering and deaths out there that we’re insulated from; and it’s difficult to get in touch with that. 
God, however, has a plan. 
He always takes adverse situations and turns them into opportunities. God is always in control. 
Living in the moment with the people God has put in our lives has become the, “norm”. ‘Our daily bread’.
For the time being, we’ll continue making the best of our time together, because we never know what lies ahead.
God bless everyone and stay safe.