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Where’s My Rose Garden Celebration?
From a distance, doesn’t this look a little like a wedding to you?
The rows of chairs in a garden setting. The two sides — bride’s and groom’s. A man and a woman standing in front of the assembled guests. (Not to say that all weddings are between men and women, although with the future Supreme Court who knows…?) The pretty white flowers everywhere. Photographers and videographers on the side. Everyone all dressed up for the happy occasion.
We all know this photo is actually of the Super Spreader event announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to our nation’s highest court. What we actually do not know is how many people were infected, because the White House refused to allow the CDC to do contact tracing. But it’s certain that the virus has spread through the White House, the military high command, and God knows where else.
So why the wedding comparison? Because my husband and I weren’t there when my daughter got married this summer. Because we couldn’t be. Because of the coronavirus and the global pandemic. My daughter’s wedding ceremony was held in Seattle. We live in New York. The long-planned big wedding with families and friends joyously celebrating together couldn’t be held safely. At first, the wedding was postponed. But it became increasingly clear that Covid wasn’t going away for the foreseeable future. My daughter…
