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The Year We Stayed At Home : When life as we knew it changed forever

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SARS-CoV-2 reared its ugly head in December 2019. Doctors in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China, first called it ‘Viral pneumonia’. By March 2020, it had shut down the world. By October 2021, it had claimed nearly five million lives.

We grow from our trials, but to have parents, spouses, and family members die in hospitals and rest homes alone, was too much. The whole world mourned in isolation. From New Zealand to South Africa, the middle east, England, United States, and beyond—here are stories of everyday people like you and me who struggled to adjust to new circumstances.

People began to adapt in exciting, original ways. In a small village in England, the so-called, Yarn Bombers, knitted elaborate decorations and adorned village mailboxes. In New Jersey, a governor signed an order, permitting civil marriages to take place remotely. A family took off to an isolated beach for a vacation. Others connected through videoconferencing. Children decorated their grandparent’s back yard with a secret night-time makeover to say, ‘I love you.’ Thanksgiving and Christmas parties in the garage. We, as a world, have found novel ways of connecting that made this planet better than ever.

We have become a little more appreciative of life, and a little more thoughtful of others.

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2021

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About the author

Drienie Hattingh

21 books7 followers

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Janet.
1,793 reviews27 followers
June 20, 2022
Drienie and her fellow artists has come together for another excellent good read. "The Year We Stayed At Home", is about people's lives during the pandemic. Many of these stories will have you in tears. I know it did me.
I had the opportunity to read this book before it was released. I was then asked to give a honest review, which could have been in the book. So many times I tried and tried to write down those words. And so many times I deleted them and tried again. So now I am trying once more, this time for everyone on this site.
Read this book and you all will understand, our lives changed so much during this time. Some of our lives will never be the same. I didn't lose anyone close to me, what I lost was the closeness that my family had. We are slowly getting it back. And I am thankful for that.
Enjoy the book
Profile Image for Christy.
Author 15 books67 followers
December 3, 2021
Compilation of experiences from around the world put together by Drienie Hattingh. Interesting stories from Australia to England, to the United States, to South Africa.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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