GabrielsVault

The corona virus pandemic has shifted life on many levels. A society that was always “too busy” suddenly has nothing but time. Families who bemoaned never eating dinner together are now tripping over each other. Parents more familiar with drop off and pick up routines are now learning how to schedule the hours in between.

As the GV team also confronts this “new normal”, we wanted to share a few ideas that might help fill some hours and provide some connection during this disconnected time. 

Ideas for Families with Kids:

• Photo album review: Set the kids on those old photos and family albums. They can pick their favorites and digitize them. Once they’ve done that, tell them the story behind the photo - what was the occasion, who’s in the photo, any specific story that led to the photo, etc. - and ask them what about the photo they really like. If you don’t know the story, this is a great opportunity to reach out to an older family member to share the story with the whole family.
• Dedicated story time: Creating a schedule is incredibly important. Enlist the help of a family member or friend to help entertain the kids. Set a time each day for a phone call or FaceTime when this person can read a chapter of a book to the kids (or vice versa!). This time together gives parents a little break, the kids something to look forward to and the other person, who may be feeling isolated, a needed bit of social interaction.  

Ideas for Adults:

• Family artifacts review: Beyond photos, some families have shared caches of letters, papers, recipes, etc. While reviewing this information just after someone’s passing can be too painful, reviewing them now can provide an insight into the life and the world as it was for them. Juxtaposing that information with our current world order can help provide perspective and some much needed resilience.
• Journal your concerns and hopes during this time. Not only could this exercise help ease your anxiety, but having a contemporaneous account of your experiences can be beneficial for your kids and grandkids to understand this extraordinary time and experience. 

While all of these ideas can be done immediately, the functionality of GabrielsVault enables you to create, safely store and schedule these messages for delivery at a time you choose.

We wish you all good health and resilience during this time.

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