Rewind
Michelle:
I find it interesting to hear people say that we are coming out of COVID. Sure, the numbers are down, hospitals are seeing fewer deaths and having more open beds. But, for some of us, we would rather play a game we have created called Rewind.
Chris:
To understand our game, we need to share why it was created and to explain why it was created, we need to tell you about my brother. David, my brother from another mother was my partner in crime and the guy who was all in! He would give you the shirt off his back or go out in the middle of the night/wee hours of the morning if one of his friends needed him.
Michelle:
When I first met David, I couldn’t believe he and my husband had not known each other their whole lives. They laughed before the other could finish a joke, they played pranks on everyone and together, they were ruthless in their teasing of me.
Chris:
When David’s mom (my Arizona mom), called me to tell me that David had passed away due to COVID complications, I felt the air leave my lungs, my eyes fill with tears and my fists clench so tightly that it seemed the only way to release them would be to punch something. I began to check off a mental checklist of sorts: David was young – check. David wasn’t hospitalized with COVID – check. David tested negative after having COVID and had gone back to work – check. I just wanted to understand.
Michelle:
When Chris told me about David, I looked at him as if expecting one of his dumb punchlines to come out next. When it didn’t, I began to wonder if this was some weird karma. We had just told someone the night before how grateful we were that while we knew several people who had had COVID, no one we knew had died. It was in that moment I told Chris, “Let’s Play Rewind. Let’s go back to a moment before this one, one that includes David. Tell me a good time, no tell me the best time you and David had together.” Chris told me three stories, almost in rapid succession, that were the best, no the best, no really the best story.
Chris:
On April 21, 2021, we officially named our game but we also realized, we have played this game before. When my father passed away, when Michelle’s grandmother passed away and even when our beloved pug of 12 years passed away. While we didn’t call it, “Rewind” back then, as I recall it now, my wife would ask me to think about a special time with each person (or pet) that we lost. And, even though my heart still felt the ache of their loss, when Michelle holds a space for me to share some of my treasured memories, I allow her to know me on an even deeper level, as a son, as a brother, as a best friend.
Michelle:
We believe that coming out of COVID will look different for everyone and no amount of Rewind can actually turn back the hands of time. But we hope that this can serve as a reminder to hold on tightly to those we love, tell them often how loved they are and to share the memories of the loved ones we lost.
