Settling in for my third cyber meeting of the day

This morning, my art director and I got together with the account team via Zoom to discuss our latest client project. It's going well. It feels good to be doing something to help move our clients' business forward, especially during the pandemic.

Then at 2:30, we had a big WebEx status meeting. It was boring. Of course, if we were in person at the office, it would have been boring, too. I appreciate the normalcy.

Right now, as my fingers fly across the keyboard, I'm watching a Zoom presentation by The Chicago Sun Times. Columnists Lynn Sweet and Laura Washington, plus reporter Tina Sfondeles, are talking about Governors Pritzker and Cuomo and their leadership.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with historians at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library via Zoom. It's a perk of being a member of the library and I can't wait, because I love my Abe!

When the pandemic began, I was leery of Zoom and WebEx. But that was before I began attending church online and virtually meeting my movie group. Two months in, this is the new normal and part of my life.

I worry

This morning we had a violent spring storm. Thunder and lightening. Driving rain. My cat Connie was so scared it was pathetic. She was frozen in terror in the hallway, eyes wide and shining. I tried to soothe her with my voice, cooing her name as I told her she will always be dry and safe.

But then I got thinking about the homeless I used to see up close, and know are still out there.

The wheelchair-bound vet I used to see all the time in front of our local Chase branch. He served in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. This year, he always greeted me as a I entered or exited the ATM area, collecting change in a Big Gulp cup. I haven't seen him in months. Where is he? Is he OK? 

The guy downtown with the tortoise shell cat. He used to panhandle for cash, then go to Starbucks to use the facilities. What's happened to him, now that no one is walking around downtown and Starbucks is closed? Is he eating? Is he staying clean? That girlcat has such a hold on his heart, and I hope they're still together.

Once I locked eyes with these people, they became real to me. I hope someone was able to help them stay dry and safe this morning.

When our President truly "had the best words"

When President Kennedy spoke those words at American University in June, 1963, he was concerned about nuclear war and the Soviet Union. Right now our foe is a virus. To pretend that it respects county lines, or whether our governor is "red" or "blue," is ridiculous. To deny that we share this planet with other countries is short-sighted and perhaps even fatal. Because we are all mortal.

I wonder if we all truly do cherish our children's futures. So many of those who bitch, moan and demand we REOPEN NOW claim to be "pro-life." Yet they are willing to accept a certain number of fatalities to end their own "oppression." If only they valued their neighbors -- whether they live next door or in the neighboring state -- as much as they claim to value the unborn.

May Music Meme -- Day 14

A song you'd love to be played at your wedding. Since the King had more than once factored into our courtship, I always thought this would be played at our wedding. (Play along! Click here for prompts.)