Family Bonding and Spirituality during the Coronavirus in Albany, New York

At first I saw this whole coronavirus pandemic as a very negative, scary thing, and working from home has been pretty challenging. But then I realized that I can take advantage of this time to spend on projects with my three kids and tap into my creative side, doing the things we’ve always wanted. I would like to write a children’s book while my kids always wanted to build this Harry Potter mansion playset, and now we have plenty of time! I want to create family bonding moments and have this be some of the best memories of our lives. I don’t want to remember 2020 where we were all stuck at home and miserable.

It has been a great experience so far — the kids are bonding more with their grandfather who visits every day — and I’m FaceTiming more and getting back into the habit of writing letters. My daughter’s birthday party was canceled, but we still had an intimate party at home. We’re practicing what we learn from the spiritual words in Hoon Dok Hae, like patience. Patience was always a word that was thrown around, but during this time it has really been a chance for all of us to learn and practice it, along with other virtues and ideas, using everything in a practical way. This is the time for my kids to show God and their ancestors what they can do. We’re practicing how to look at each other from a team perspective, through communication and really understanding each other, to work as a cohesive unit.