my family began the year by ordering black and gray masks but have now accumulated patterns that we can match with our clothes

One year has slipped away since the lockdown was announced in California. In some ways, time stood still, but in other ways, we have adapted and our vocabulary has changed to include words like masks, six-feet-apart, online teaching, virtual readings, vaccinations, pandemic, COVID-19 and so much more.

For me, the year passed away without taking a single trip to see family. Instead, I stayed in Los Angeles County, hiked, wrote, and spent hours with friends, fellow writers, and family on Zoom, Webex, FaceTime, and phone calls.

Over the past year, 2.5 million precious lives around the globe were lost. No country and few families left unscathed